Rwanda backed M23 rebels have entered the eastern DR Congo town of Uvira near the Burundian border, in what sources told Reuters on Wednesday is the biggest escalation in months of the long running war.
Uvira, located on the shores of Lake Tanganyika, has been the headquarters of the Kinshasa appointed government in South Kivu province and its regional military base since the provincial capital Bukavu fell to M23 in February. Control of the town could allow the rebels to advance further beyond South Kivu.
The rapid breakthrough comes less than a week after Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame met President Donald Trump in Washington, where they reaffirmed their commitment to a US brokered peace deal. Since then, Congo and Rwanda have accused each other of violating the agreement.
Congo’s foreign minister has called on Washington to broaden targeted sanctions against Rwanda to “restore the credibility” of its mediation efforts. Rwanda, which denies supporting M23, has blamed Congolese forces and Burundi for the renewed clashes.
Lewis Mudge, Central Africa director for Human Rights Watch, said the violence in Uvira shows that signing agreements in Washington is “not enough to ensure the safety of civilians in eastern Congo”.
The United Nations says about 200,000 people have fled their homes in recent days and that scores of civilians have been killed.
It remained unclear on Wednesday whether M23 had established full control over Uvira.
“There’s still shooting,” said one resident, who asked not to be named for safety reasons. The resident said M23 fighters were telling civilians to stay indoors as they cleared out pockets of resistance.
A Congolese government source said the military would avoid responding militarily in order to protect the population. “The city of Uvira is now liberated,”
Lawrence Kanyuka, spokesperson for a coalition that includes M23, said on X. However, Burundi’s foreign minister Edouard Bizimana told Reuters that Uvira “has not yet fallen.”
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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