Rwanda-supported rebel faction M23 declared its capture of the strategically significant city of Uvira in eastern Congo on Wednesday, following a swift offensive launched at the beginning of the month. The statement, issued by M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka, urged residents to return to their residences. Uvira, situated as a crucial port city on the northern edge of Lake Tanganyika and directly opposite Burundi’s primary city, Bujumbura, is now under M23 control.
Congolese officials refrained from immediate comments regarding M23’s occupation of Uvira. Despite a peace deal mediated by the U.S. and signed by the presidents of Congo and Rwanda in Washington the previous week, M23’s recent offensive continued. The agreement excluded the rebel group, which is engaged in separate negotiations with Congo. Earlier this year, both sides had agreed to a ceasefire, but accusations of violations persist. The peace accord stipulated Rwanda’s cessation of support to armed factions and efforts toward ending hostilities.
Residents of Uvira recounted a tumultuous night marked by the flight of Congolese military forces and reports of gunfire resonating throughout the city. The eastern Congo region, teeming with valuable minerals and bordering Rwanda, has attracted over 100 armed factions, prominently among them being M23, fueling one of the globe’s most severe humanitarian crises with more than seven million individuals displaced, according to officials.
Despite the recent agreement in Washington, skirmishes intensified in South Kivu as reported by residents. Local UN partners disclosed that over 200,000 people have been displaced in the province since the beginning of December, with more than 70 fatalities. Some civilians sought refuge in Burundi, and concerns arose over potential conflict spillage into Burundi due to reported shellings in the border town of Rugombo.
A Congolese government insider informed Reuters that the military opted not to counter M23’s advancement to safeguard civilians. UN experts estimated that about 4,000 Rwandan troops support the rebels in Congo, with occasional threats by M23 to march towards Kinshasa, Congo’s capital, situated approximately 1,600 kilometers to the east.
M23’s previous seizure of Goma and Bukavu, vital cities in eastern Congo, marked a significant escalation in the enduring conflict earlier this year. Recent reports from Reuters indicated M23’s takeover of Luvungi, a town that served as a frontline position since February, with ongoing intense clashes near Sange and Kiliba, villages farther along the road leading to Uvira from the north.
Expressing deep concerns over the renewed conflicts in South Kivu province, where Uvira is located, the U.S. and nine other members of the International Contact Group (ICG) for the Great Lakes emphasized the potential destabilization of the broader region due to the violence. Burundi’s Foreign Minister, Edouard Bizimana, revealed that his country had received over 30,000 refugees from Congo in the preceding three days.