About 200,000 people have fled their homes in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in recent days as Rwanda-backed M23 rebels press toward the strategic lakeside city of Uvira, the United Nations said, underscoring a dramatic escalation that comes days after a Washington ceremony heralding a path to peace.
The UN said at least 74 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the latest wave of fighting and 83 others were hospitalized with wounds. It warned the new M23 offensive “has a destabilizing potential for the whole region,” noting an alarming uptick in the use of attack and suicide drones that poses a serious threat to civilians.
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Local officials and residents reported that M23, battling Congolese troops and community-based Wazalendo militias, has advanced through villages north of Uvira along the border with Burundi. Reuters reported that the rebels had seized Luvungi, a town that had marked the front line since February, with fierce clashes continuing near Sange and Kiliba on the road toward Uvira. Reuters said it could not determine whether Sange had fallen. A Congolese army spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment.
Uvira, a major urban center on Lake Tanganyika, saw brief panic after rumors of an imminent rebel arrival, according to South Kivu provincial spokesperson Didier Kabi, who said calm was later restored.
Corneille Nangaa, leader of the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC) coalition that includes M23, said government forces had attacked first and urged fleeing soldiers to hold their ground. “You are Congolese … and Wazalendo soldiers. Do not flee Uvira. Wait for us to free you,” Nangaa said.
Despite the push south, M23 leader Bertrand Bisimwa reiterated support for Qatari-led talks in Doha, where the sides last month signed a framework toward a potential settlement. “Even if we counterattack, we said that there are no other solutions in the current crisis than the negotiating table, and we want to bring Kinshasa to the negotiating table,” he said.
The surge in violence follows last week’s ceremony in Washington, where President Donald Trump hosted the Rwandan and Congolese leaders for the signing of a pact affirming US- and Qatari-brokered commitments to end the war. “Today we’re succeeding where so many others have failed,” Trump said, claiming his administration had ended a 30-year conflict that killed millions.
The US State Department said it was deeply concerned by the renewed fighting. “Rwanda, which continues to provide support to M23, must prevent further escalation,” a spokesperson said. Rwanda has repeatedly denied supporting M23, though the United States and the United Nations have said evidence of Rwandan backing is clear.
A joint statement urged M23 and Rwanda’s armed forces to halt offensive operations, called on Rwanda to withdraw its troops from eastern Congo, and pressed M23 to return to positions set out in a July 19 declaration signed in Doha. It also urged all sides to recommit to a cease-fire and uphold obligations under accords reached on Dec. 4.
In a speech to lawmakers, Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi accused Rwanda of violating the commitments it made in Washington. A senior US official said Washington was monitoring developments closely and that “the president has made clear to both sides that implementation is what he will judge, and as he stated, he is expecting immediate results.”
Even before this latest offensive, the conflict had displaced at least 1.2 million people. The UN’s estimate of 200,000 newly displaced underscores the humanitarian toll of fighting that has now moved closer to Uvira’s dense urban population and critical cross-border trade routes. With drones entering the battlefield and front lines shifting rapidly, aid agencies warn access to civilians is narrowing at the very moment needs are soaring.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
