AFRICA/DR. CONGO – After capturing Uvira, the M23 continues its advance south

Kinshasa – The M23/AFC guerrilla fighters announced on December 16 that they had withdrawn from the city of Uvira in South Kivu province in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, near the border with Burundi, which they had captured on December 10 .
However, according to local sources, the M23/AFC maintains a troop presence in the city, while its fighters continue their advance south.
The M23 fighters are attacking positions held by the Congolese army and, in particular, by the Wazalendo, the pro-government militias, who abandoned the city in response to the rebel advance. Hundreds of weapons left behind by fleeing Congolese have been collected.
Uvira maintains close social and economic ties with neighboring Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi, whose forces have attempted to halt the advance of the Rwandan-backed guerrillas. For this reason, it is suspected that the M23/AFC is willing to create a buffer zone in the Congolese city, with the deployment of an international peacekeeping force.

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