The M23 militia, backed by Rwanda, is making quick progress towards the strategically important city of Uvira on the border with Burundi, and fierce fighting broke out today in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The armed group and its Rwandan partners were located approximately 15 kilometers north of Uvira, down from 30 kilometers yesterday, according to sources in the security and military sectors.
According to AFP, the US president presided over a ceremony when Kinshasa and Kigali signed a peace pact. Just days after the event, violence has resumed.
The eastern DRC has been engulfed in a series of conflicts for nearly 30 years, despite its abundant natural resources.
In January, militants from the M23 group took control of the strategic eastern city of Goma, and a few weeks later, Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province, adding fuel to the fire of increased violence in the area.
U.S. President Donald Trump hailed the signing of a “miracle” peace accord between Rwandan President Paul Kagame and Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi on Thursday in Washington.
Washington aims to challenge China’s supremacy in the sector, and the deal has an economic component to ensure US supply of crucial minerals existing in the region.
Uvira is in the province of South Kivu, and bombs were dropped on homes and schools even on the signing day.
Conflict broke out today in the small towns of Sange and Runingo, which are located within 20 km of Uvira. According to military and security sources, the M23 and the Rwandan army advanced quickly.
Soldiers from the Congo who were fleeing the war reportedly arrived in Uvira overnight, and stores were plundered first thing in the morning, according to witnesses and military sources.
On Monday, military sources said that several hundred soldiers from Burundi and the Congo had already fled to Burundi.
A city of several hundred thousand people was rocked by bombing on Tuesday, causing widespread terror. According to a local, “that’s the reality”: everyone in Uvira is hiding under their beds.
The idea of Uvira, Burundi’s economic center, succumbing to forces backed by Rwanda is seen as a dire threat by the country’s citizens, who live across Lake Tanganyika from Bujumbura.
As per military sources, the deployment of approximately 10,000 soldiers to the eastern DRC in October 2023 has been augmented to as many as 20,000 men. This was done as part of a military cooperation agreement.
Uvira was attacked on December 1 by M23 and Rwandan forces.
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