Burundian soldiers, who have been fighting Rwandan-backed M23 rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, were pulling out following the fall of the city of Bukavu, four sources, including a Burundian army officer and two U.N. officials, said on Tuesday.
M23 seized Goma, the biggest city in eastern Congo, in late January and then took control of South Kivu provincial capital Bukavu over the weekend.
“The Burundian troops are withdrawing from the Democratic Republic of Congo. A number of trucks filled with military arrived in the country since yesterday” through a border post, the Burundian army officer said.
Burundi has had soldiers in eastern Congo for years, initially to hunt down Burundian rebels there but, more recently, to aid in the fight against M23.
