If M23 forces take over Uvira, they could be able to move beyond South Kivu.
Sources stated on Wednesday that the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels had taken over the eastern DR Congo town of Uvira, which is close to the Burundian border. This is the biggest escalation in months of the long-running war.
Uvira, which is on the beaches of Lake Tanganyika, has been the headquarters of the Kinshasa-appointed government in South Kivu province and its regional military base since M23 took over the provincial capital, Bukavu, in February.
If the rebels take control of Uvira, they might be able to move beyond South Kivu.
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M23’s new triumph in the mineral-rich area comes less than a week after Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame met with President Donald Trump in Washington and promised to stick to a peace pact that the US helped establish.
Since then, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo have both said that the other country broke the deal.
On Tuesday, Uvira saw a desolate street as M23 troops moved closer to the town. Picture: AFP
The foreign minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has asked Washington to increase targeted sanctions against Rwanda in order to “restore the credibility” of its mediation efforts.
Rwanda, which denies supporting M23, has accused Congolese forces and Burundi for the war starting up again.
Lewis Mudge, Central Africa director for Human Rights Watch, said that the violence in Uvira illustrates that “just signing deals in Washington is not enough to keep civilians safe in eastern Congo.”
The UN claims that in the last several days, almost 200,000 people have left their homes and many civilians have died.
On Wednesday, it wasn’t apparent if M23 had complete control of Uvira.
“There’s still shooting,” claimed one person who didn’t want to provide their name for safety reasons. The resident added that M23 was instructing people to stay home while its troops swept away any resistance.
A source in the Congolese administration indicated that the military would not respond in order to keep people safe.
Jean-Jaques Purusi Sadiki, the governor of South Kivu, visits the wounded at the Uvira General Hospital on Sunday. He is the second person from the right. Picture: AFP
Lawrence Kanyuka, a spokesperson for a group that includes M23, posted on social media, “The city of Uvira is now free.”
Burundi’s foreign minister, Edouard Bizimana, declared, “Uvira has not yet fallen.”
In January, M23 made a quick push in eastern DR Congo, taking more land than ever before, including Goma and Bukavu, the two biggest cities in the area.
The rebels have since strengthened their hold on authority in the areas they control, but they have not made any big moves because they are taking part in peace talks in Doha, Qatar.
Reuters said on Monday that M23 had taken Luvungi, a town that had been on the front line since February. There was also heavy combat in Sange and Kiliba, which are villages farther down the road from the north toward Uvira.
On Tuesday, the US and nine other members of the International Contact Group for the Great Lakes expressed “deep concern” over the resumed fighting in South Kivu, saying that the bloodshed may make the whole region less stable.
In an interview late on Tuesday, Congolese Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner stated that the US should increase sanctions on Rwanda, focusing on “individuals in the chain of command” and institutions like the Rwandan military to make it harder for them to obtain weapons.
Wagner stated, “Washington needs to restore the credibility of its process by holding people accountable.” “It is not enough to say no. It is not enough to be worried or busy.
Rwanda says its soldiers are in eastern DR Congo for “defensive measures,” but the US and the UN say there is overwhelming proof that Rwanda is helping the rebels.
On Wednesday, Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe said that extra sanctions would not stop the conflict. He blamed Kinshasa for not following through on peace negotiations or honoring an air-strike pause that he said was agreed with in Washington last month.
He stated that Congolese forces had been attacking rebel positions and communities in South Kivu region for “weeks and months” before things got worse.
Rwanda’s foreign ministry said, “The international community has not asked for an end to these attacks that the DRC has been planning for months and that started last week.” It also said that Burundi was aiding Congolese forces bomb communities along its border.
“The Burundian army has gathered almost 20,000 troops in South Kivu to serve the government of the DRC.”
Burundi didn’t respond right away to what Rwanda said.
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