AP
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The Rwandan-backed M23 rebel group announced on Wednesday afternoon that it had captured the strategic city of Uvira in eastern Congo, following a rapid offensive since the start of the month and US attempts to quell violence in the conflict.
The announcement, made by M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka on social platform X, encouraged evacuated nationals to return to their homes. Uvira is an important port city on the northern tip of Lake Tanganyika, directly across from neighboring Burundi’s largest city, Bujumbura.
The latest M23 attack comes despite a U.S.-brokered peace agreement signed by the presidents of Congo and Rwanda in Washington last week. The deal does not include the rebels, who are negotiating separately with Congo and earlier this year agreed to a ceasefire in which both sides condemn the other’s violations. However, Rwanda is obligated to stop supporting armed groups and work to end hostilities.
Residents of Uvira reported a night of chaos as Congolese army troops fled and there was gunfire throughout the city.
There were rumors that the governor of South Kivu province, where Uvira is located, had fled in the night, but he denied it.
In a speech, Congolese Communications Minister Patrick Muyaya did not explicitly acknowledge that rebels had taken over the city, but said more than 100 people had been killed in the attack.
Congolese, US and UN experts have accused Rwanda of supporting the M23, which had several hundred members as of 2021. The group currently has about 6,500 fighters, according to the United Nations.
Rwanda denies the claims but admitted last year that it had troops and missile systems in eastern Congo to provide security. United Nations experts estimate that up to 4,000 Rwandan troops are stationed in Congo.
In a statement Wednesday, the U.S. Embassy in Kinshasa called on M23 and the Rwandan military to cease all offensive operations and for the Rwandan Defense Forces to withdraw to Rwanda.
On Wednesday morning, Rwanda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement on X, blamed the Congolese army for recent ceasefire violations.
“The Democratic Republic of the Congo has publicly stated that it will not abide by any ceasefire and is fighting to regain territory lost to AFC/M23 even as the peace process unfolds,” the statement said.
More than 100 armed groups are fighting for a foothold in eastern Congo, a mineral-rich region near the border with Rwanda, the most prominent of which is the M23 group. Officials say the conflict has caused one of the world’s gravest humanitarian crises, with more than 7 million people displaced.
Residents say fighting is escalating in South Kivu province despite an agreement signed in Washington last week in the presence of US President Donald Trump.
Local UN partners report that more than 200,000 people have been displaced and more than 70 people have died in the state since December 2. Civilians have also entered Burundi, and there are reports of shells hitting Lugombo, a town on the Burundian side of the border, raising concerns that the conflict will spill over into Burundi territory.
Earlier this year, the long-standing conflict escalated significantly, with the M23 taking control of Goma and Bukavu, two major cities in eastern Congo.
