The crucial ferries were suspended for several days due to fierce fighting between the army and M23 rebels in the region.

The Rwandan-backed rebels' entry into Bukavu follows their capture of Goma, defying international calls for a ceasefire.

M23 rebels captured the city of 1.3 million people after it was abandoned by Congolese forces. Bukavu lies 101 kilometers south of Goma, which was captured by the rebels in late January. The M23 is the most prominent of more than 100 armed groups vying for control of eastern Congo's trillions of dollars in mineral wealth that's critical for much of the world's technology.

In North Kivu, partners report that more than 110,000 people have left displacement sites in Goma and started to move to villages in the Masisi, Rutshuru and Nyiragongo territories.

The morning after M23 fighters entered the outskirts of Bukavu — a city of about 1.3 million people that lies 63 miles south of rebel-held Goma — some streets were flooded by residents attempting to leave and looters filling flour sacks with what they could find.

The M23 armed group is advancing on strategic zones in the eastern DRC after taking two key cities, Goma and Bukavu, according to the United Nations on Wednesday. U.N. Security Council members met on Wednesday in hopes of averting the widening of conflict into a regional war.

The rebels have been pushing south towards Bukavu, the second-largest city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, since they seized Goma, the largest city, at the end of last month. Leaders from Eastern and Southern African regional blocs last weekend urged all parties to hold direct talks,

The conflict has accelerated in recent weeks, with the rebels taking the key city of Goma in January and Bukavu, another provincial capital, a few weeks later.

Rwanda is facing global pressure over allegations it supports the M23 group which, since January, has captured swathes of eastern Congo including the cities of Goma and Bukavu, an

Rwanda-backed rebels have captured two major cities in Congo’s mineral-rich east after a major escalation in their yearslong fighting against Congolese forces. The M23 rebels captured Goma and Bukavu

A day after M23 fighters entered the outskirts of Bukavu — a city of about 1.3 million people that lies 101 kilometers south of rebel-held Goma — some streets were flooded by residents attempting to leave and looters filling flour sacks with what they could find.

The situation in Bukavu is increasingly tense as the presence of military forces escalates, with growing concerns about the security of the city and its surrounding areas.