Rwandan-backed M23 rebels claim to have captured the strategic town of Uvira in eastern Congo.
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The Rwandan-backed M23 rebel group said it took control of the strategic town of Uvira in eastern Congo on Wednesday afternoon following a rapid offensive launched since the start of the month.
The announcement, made on X by M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka, encouraged citizens to return home. Uvira is a major port city located on the northern tip of Lake Tanganyika and is directly opposite Burundi’s largest city, Bujumbura.
Congolese authorities did not immediately say whether the M23 had taken the town.
The latest M23 offensive comes despite a peace agreement signed last week by the Congolese and Rwandan presidents in Washington, under the auspices of the United States. The deal does not include the rebels, who are negotiating separately with Congo and agreed earlier this year to a ceasefire that both sides accuse the other of violating. But it requires Rwanda to stop supporting armed groups and work to end hostilities.
Residents of Uvira reported a chaotic night during which Congolese army troops fled, and gunfire was reported throughout the town.
More than 100 armed groups are fighting for a foothold in mineral-rich eastern Congo near the border with Rwanda, the largest being the M23 group. The conflict has created one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises, with more than seven million people displaced, officials say.
Last week, residents said fighting had intensified in South Kivu, despite the agreement signed in Washington, DC, in the presence of US President Donald Trump.
Local UN partners report that more than 200,000 people have been displaced across the province since December 2, with more than 70 deaths. Civilians have also crossed the border into Burundi and shelling has been reported in the town of Rugombo on the Burundian side of the border, raising concerns that the conflict in Burundi may spill over.
A Congolese government source told Reuters the army would not react to the advance, in order to protect civilians.
Rebels in Congo are supported by about 4,000 troops from neighboring Rwanda, according to U.N. experts, and have at times vowed to march to Congo’s capital, Kinshasa, about 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) to the east.
Earlier this year, the M23 seized Goma and Bukavu, two key towns in eastern Congo, in a major escalation of a years-long conflict.
On Monday, Reuters reported that the M23 had captured Luvungi, a town that had been the front line since February, and that heavy fighting continued near Sange and Kiliba, villages further along the road to Uvira from the north.
The United States and nine other members of the International Contact Group (ICG) for the Great Lakes expressed “deep concern” on Tuesday over renewed fighting in South Kivu province, where Uvira is located, warning that violence could destabilize the entire region.
Burundian Foreign Minister Edouard Bizimana told Radio France Internationale on Wednesday that his country had registered more than 30,000 Congolese refugees over the past three days.
