Rwanda-backed M23 rebels announce they will pull back from the seized city of Uvira in eastern Congo as violence intensifies despite a peace accord brokered by the United States. Corneille Nangaa, who leads the Congo River Alliance—an umbrella that includes M23—stated that the withdrawal is a request from the U.S. and constitutes a “unilateral confidence-building step” intended to advance the peace process.
The group’s statement also urged the demilitarization of Uvira, the protection of civilians and critical infrastructure, and the deployment of a neutral force to monitor the ceasefire. It did not specify whether M23’s pullout would be linked to the implementation of these conditions.
Residents in Uvira reported on Tuesday that the rebels remain present in the town. M23 seized the city last week after a rapid offensive that began earlier in the month. The capture has been accompanied by a death toll exceeding 400 and roughly 200,000 people displaced, according to regional officials.
This latest push by the rebels comes despite a peace agreement brokered in Washington earlier this month between the Congolese and Rwandan presidents. The United States subsequently accused Rwanda of violating the deal by backing a deadly new offensive in the mineral-rich eastern Congo and warned it would take action against those who undermine the agreement.
The accord did not list M23 as a participant, as the group has been negotiating separately with Congo and had previously agreed to a ceasefire earlier this year, though both sides accuse each other of violations. Nevertheless, the agreement requires Rwanda to halt support for armed groups such as M23 and to pursue an end to hostilities.
The rebel advance has pushed the conflict toward neighboring Burundi, which has long stationed troops in eastern Congo. Since December 8, Burundi’s foreign ministry reports that at least 30,000 Congolese nationals have crossed the border seeking refuge, with reports of artillery shells landing in Rugombo, a Burundian border town.
Beyond M23, more than 100 armed factions are contesting control in eastern Congo’s mineral-rich region near the Rwanda border. The fighting has generated one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises, with the United Nations refugee agency estimating over 7 million people displaced.
