AFRICA/DR CONGO – The tragedy of the conquest of Uvira: “Drones, rockets, and mortar bombs against civilians”

Kinshasa – On December 10, 2025, troops of the M23/AFC , supported by Rwandan forces, declared the conquest of Uvira, the second largest city after Bukavu in South Kivu, the eastern province of the Democratic Republic of Congo embroiled in a war of aggression along with North Kivu .
The following testimony, sent to Fides, from local sources who, for security reasons, wish to remain anonymous.
“After ten months, the invading rebel army has managed to break through the front line that Congolese troops, supported by Wazalendo fighters and Burundian forces, had established in Katogota , at the entrance of the Ruzizi Plain. The Burundian military returned to their country on the morning of Tuesday, December 9, and the remaining Congolese defenses withdrew, abandoning the city of Uvira two days before the invaders entered. In two days, some 40,000 people sought refuge in Burundi. Crossing the Ruzizi Plain has been a tragedy for the populations of the villages along the road, forced to flee under bombardment due to drones, rockets, and mortars. Many were killed during the escape, but also when the invading troops entered Uvira.” The city was bombed throughout the day on Wednesday, December 10. The official tally of the advance, published on December 10 by the government spokesperson, reports “more than 413 civilians killed by gunfire, grenades, and bombs in Kamanyola, Katogota, Luvungi, Bwegera, Luberizi, Mutarule, Lemera, Kiliba, Sange, and Uvira, including many women, children, young people, and entire families.” This count does not include the deaths in the city of Uvira. The statement also notes the flight of some 200,000 people from Uvira: some, while the borders remained open, to Burundi; others to southern towns such as Baraka , Fizi, and others. The official government has relocated to Baraka. However, the ultimate goal of the new occupiers has not been the recently captured city of Uvira, but rather the occupation of the former Katanga region to the south, an area rich in copper, cobalt, and other strategic mineral deposits. Therefore, the next likely target is Kalemie, located roughly in the middle of Lake Tanganyika and considered the gateway to Katanga. This area also holds the interests of former president Joseph Kabila: a cement factory and the raw materials necessary for its production, which were exported, via Uvira, by a fleet of some 150 trucks destined for Rwanda, Burundi, and Bukavu.
At this point, the interests of the various rebel factions could begin to diverge: Rwanda and the M23, its main ally, are probably content with having occupied the eastern part of the country, the richest in mineral resources; Corneille Nangaa, with his AFC movement, on the other hand, aspires to the overthrow the Kinshasa regime. At the same time, friction has been observed within the groups involved in the offensive, especially in relation to the assassination, which occurred in Goma on December 10, of the well-known journalist Magloire Paluku, who was linked to the AFC.
Pope Leo XIV, after the Angelus prayer yesterday, Sunday, December 14, issued a heartfelt appeal to the “parties in the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo” to “cease all forms of violence and seek constructive dialogue, respecting the ongoing peace processes.”

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