The chaotic scenes unfold in Bukavv in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, as the M23 rebel group continues its offensive in the region.
On Saturday, there were reports of sporadic firing and widespread in the city, including at the World Food Program depot, with residents sheltering in their homes.
Following is controversial reports on whether the Rwanda -supported rebels have entered the key city of Bukavu after progress in the region. On Friday, M23 fighters seized Kavumu Airport north of Bukavu.
The UN and the European Union have expressed concern over the deterioration of conflict.
A threat from the Uganda army to attack a Congoy city sparked fears that the conflict could be ignited in a broader regional war.
UN Secretary -General Antonio Guteres told the African Union summit on Saturday, the regional escalation “at all costs” should be avoided and there was no “military decision”.
“Both the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of the DRC must be respected,” Guterres continued.
The European Union said this “urgent” is considering all options after the Bukavu news.
“The continued violation of the territorial integrity of the DRC will not remain unanswered,” he warned.
The Congoan government accuses Rwanda of chaos of chaos in the region to take advantage of its natural resources – a claim that Rwanda denied.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced from their homes in recent weeks as a result of the rebel's advance.
On Saturday, Bukavv's streets were empty as the residents hid in their homes.
A woman in the city said that the BBC people were avoiding going out as they rang firing and young people were plundering and destroying shops.
“I only have enough food three days. As my wife, it's hard to go out because I could be raped (from robbery or armed groups). We feel abandoned by the authorities.”
The looting included the landfill of the World Food Program in Bukavu, which housed 6,800 metric tonnes of food, a spokesman for the UN Aid Agency told the Reuters Agency.
Claude Kalinga said that the theft of deliveries would exacerbate the difficulties that the needy faces. The agency had already stopped its operations for weeks due to the worsening security situation.
There are conflicting reports whether the M23 fighters have entered Bukavu, as the group claims and to what extent.
Two residents of the Bukavu northern suburb in Bagira said they had seen rebels on the streets and there were no signs of battle.
However, a source of M23, two Congo army officers and many Bukavu residents, told Reuters on Saturday that the rebels had not yet entered the city center.
The capture of Bukavu, a city calculated that it has an urban population of over a million people, would be an unprecedented expansion of the territory under the control of the M23, as the last rebel began in 2022.
Bukavu, which borders Rwanda, is on the southern end of Kivu Lake and is an important transit point for local mineral trade.
Meanwhile on Saturday, Uganda's Defense Forces Chief General Muhzi Kinerugaba said X that he would attack the city Fears of wider conflict.
The threat of Kainerugaba, whose father is president of Uganda, adds to fears that the region risks getting back into a broader war, reminiscent of conflicts in the 90s and 2000s, which died millions.
Uganda's military since 2021 supports the Congoan army in his fight against Islamist fighters in the east, but UN experts say Uganda also supported the M23 groupS