Clashes erupted on Monday around Uvira in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo between the Rwanda-backed M23 group and pro-government militia, despite the rebels’ recent pledge to withdraw from the city, local sources said.
The fighting comes days after M23 announced it would pull its forces out of Uvira, a strategic city near the Burundi border that it captured earlier this month. The seizure followed the signing of a peace agreement between the Congolese and Rwandan governments in Washington, an accord praised by US President Donald Trump.
However, tensions have remained high. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has since accused Rwanda of breaching the December 4 peace deal and warned that Washington could take action.
Although M23’s political leader, Corneille Nangaa, said the group would “unilaterally withdraw” from Uvira at the request of US mediators, local and security sources reported that fighters in civilian clothing remained in the city.
On Monday, gunfire was heard across Uvira as M23 fighters and the pro-Kinshasa Wazalendo militia exchanged fire, according to civil society leader Mafikiri Mashimango. Residents said the clashes forced people indoors and brought daily activities to a standstill.
Fighting was reported in surrounding hills and neighbourhoods in the south and southwest of the city, including areas near the Kalundu port on Lake Tanganyika. One resident said a bomb exploded in Mulongwe, southeast of Uvira, while bullets flew over homes.
The Congolese armed forces dismissed M23’s withdrawal announcement as a “media stunt,” accusing the group of repositioning its fighters in hills overlooking the city.
