(Reuters) -Chaotic scenes unfolded in the eastern Congo city of Bukavu on Saturday after Rwanda-backed M23 rebels reached its outskirts, while a threat by Uganda's army chief to attack a Congolese town raised fears of the conflict flaring into a wider regional war.

Residents and business owners in eastern Congo’s second largest city are sitting in wait after a night of loud gunfire marking the ongoing advance of Rwanda-backed rebels.

Earlier on Friday, the Congolese army confirmed that M23 fighters had taken control of Kavumu airport, north of Bukavu, and that Congolese troops had pulled back with their equipment. The rebels have been trying to push south towards Bukavu since they seized Goma, the largest city in eastern Congo, at the end of last month.