The government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) confirmed on Sunday the entry of the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels into Bukavu, a major city in the eastern part of the country.
In a statement, the DRC government assured the public that it is closely monitoring the situation in Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu Province, where the M23 rebels entered earlier in the morning.
According to local sources, M23 rebels took control of several strategic sites in the city, including the residence of the provincial governor.
The government reaffirmed its commitment to restoring order, security, and territorial integrity, calling on Bukavu residents to stay indoors to avoid becoming targets.
As of the present, the M23 armed group has gained full control over the regions along the shores of Lake Kivu in the DRC.
The rising tensions in eastern DRC in recent weeks have caused a sharp worsening of the humanitarian situation there. Since Jan. 26, more than 3,000 people have been killed, 2,880 injured, and over 500,000 displaced, adding to the 6.4 million people already internally displaced in the region, according to the U.N.
The ongoing conflict between the M23 and the DRC government is deeply rooted in the aftermath of the 1994 Rwandan genocide and long-standing ethnic tensions between the Tutsi and Hutu communities. The DRC accuses Rwanda of supporting the M23, while Rwanda alleges that the DRC army has allied with the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, a rebel group accused of participating in the genocide against the Tutsi.
DR Congo government confirms rebel entry into strategic city Bukavu
The newly passed National Development Planning Law will better support China's development objectives by ensuring the continuity, stability, and authority of national development plans through institutional measures, according to a senior legislative affairs official in Beijing.
The law was adopted on Thursday by the National People's Congress (NPC) , the supreme organ of state power, at the closing meeting of its annual session. It will govern how the country formulates and carries out its five-year development plans, formalizing a system that has long guided the world's second-largest economy. Drawing on China's long-standing experience in national development planning, the law codifies proven practices into a legal framework and aims to reinforce the strategic guiding role of national development plans.
Tong Weidong, director of the State Law Department of the Legislative Affairs Commission under the Standing Committee of NPC, said the law will help legalize and standardize national development planning.
"Formulating and implementing five-year plans have long been the 'winning formula' behind China's rapid economic growth and enduring social stability. China has implemented 14 consecutive five-year plans, achieving remarkable success and accumulating valuable experience that must be carefully reviewed. This session of the NPC deliberated and approved the National Development Planning Law, elevating our long-standing and well-established practices and experience in formulating and implementing national development plans into legal provisions. Strengthening institutional achievements through legislation will promote the legalization and standardization of national development planning," he said.
He said the law will boost the continuity, stability, and authority of national development plans going forward.
"Since the start of reform and opening up, the implementation of every five-year plan has been notably effective. Many plans have even exceeded their targets ahead of schedule. The National Development Planning Law includes provisions to ensure the continuity and stability of national development planning. The law enhances continuity, stability, and authority of national development plans through institutional measures such as stronger policy coordination and resource allocation, stricter procedural requirements for plan adjustments, and greater oversight by the NPC. This provides stable expectations for investment from both domestic and foreign capital," said the official.
Newly adopted development planning law to better serve China's development goals: legislative affairs official
