Fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has displaced about 200,000 people, according to the United Nations. The Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group is pushing into the key city of Uvira in South Kivu province. Recent clashes have killed at least 74 people.
This violence comes just days after a US-mediated peace agreement between the DRC and Rwanda aimed at reducing support for armed groups. The rebels were not included in the deal and are negotiating separately with Kinshasa. Both sides have accused each other of breaking earlier ceasefire agreements.
Local reports and Reuters sources confirm that M23 forces are in Uvira, but it is unclear if they control the city as fighting continues. The group has taken some key positions, which Al Jazeera correspondent Alain Uaykani calls a major win for the rebels.
Uvira has served as a government stronghold and administrative center since officials left Bukavu in January. However, most Congolese soldiers have fled across the province or into neighboring Burundi, leaving the city mostly unprotected. Reports mention gunfire, looting, and the ransacking of the governor’s office.
Uvira’s location near Burundi is strategic, as Burundi’s military has supported the DRC for the past two years. M23 continues to fight Congolese forces and local militias like the Wazalando in villages north of Uvira. Civil society representatives say panic is spreading as rebels move further south into South Kivu.
Corneille Nangaa, leader of the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC) rebel coalition, urged fleeing soldiers to stay in the city and join the fight alongside M23 and Wazalendo. The International Contact Group of the Great Lakes (ICG), which includes members from the US and EU, expressed serious concern about the renewed violence. They warned that the M23 attack could cause wider instability in the region.
Despite the recent violence, M23 leader Bertrand Bisimwa repeated his support for last month’s peace talks in Doha and urged Kinshasa to return to negotiations. Rwanda denies helping M23, but both Washington and the UN have presented evidence of its support. Before this latest surge in violence, 1.2 million people had already been displaced by the ongoing conflict.
President Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo accused Rwanda of breaking agreements made with the US. A senior US official said Washington is closely monitoring the situation and urged both sides to implement the accord quickly.
