AFRICA/DR CONGO – Despite Peace Agreement: M23 Advance towards Uvira

Kinshasa – The strategically important city of Uvira is in the sights of the M23 rebel movement. According to the United Nations, the rebels, supported by elements of the Rwandan army, are advancing towards the city. Uvira, in the South Kivu province of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, is an important hub connecting the Congolese province with neighboring Burundi, whose troops, together with the Congolese military, are attempting to halt the rebels’ advance.
The signing of the peace agreement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo on December 4 has therefore not ended the hostilities in South Kivu. While the presidents of the two African countries were signing the agreement in Washington under the auspices of US President Donald Trump, the M23 and the Rwandan army were already sending reinforcements to South Kivu, according to a statement from the South Kivu Provincial Coordination Office of Civil Society, sent to Fides.
The statement says that some reinforcements arrived by boat from Goma, the capital of North Kivu, which fell into the hands of the M23 in January , while others crossed the border from Bugarama in Rwanda and marched through the streets of Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu, which was captured by the rebels in February , toward Kamanyola and Kotoga. Civil society denounces atrocities against civilians, including the use of drones that suddenly attack defenseless populations and artillery attacks on towns and villages. According to the statement, the recent fighting in North and South Kivu aims to pave the way for the rebels to capture Kisangani.

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