A Rwanda-backed rebel group says it has taken control of the strategic eastern Congolese city of Uvira after a fast-moving offensive that began earlier this month.
The M23 movement announced the takeover on Wednesday afternoon through its spokesperson, Lawrence Kanyuka, who urged residents to return home.
Local officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo have not confirmed whether the city has fallen.
City on Lake Tanganyika Seized Amid Turmoil
Uvira sits on the northern edge of Lake Tanganyika and serves as an important port, facing Burundi’s commercial hub, Bujumbura.
Residents reported a night of chaos, saying Congolese soldiers abandoned their positions as heavy gunfire echoed across the city.
The advance comes only days after the presidents of Congo and Rwanda signed a U.S.-brokered peace deal in Washington. The agreement, witnessed by U.S. President Donald Trump, aims to reduce cross-border tensions and requires Rwanda to stop backing armed groups.
M23 was not part of that accord. The rebels are engaged in separate talks with the Congolese government and had earlier agreed to a ceasefire that both sides accuse each other of breaking.
Humanitarian Crisis Deepens in South Kivu
Eastern Congo hosts more than 100 armed groups competing for land and control of mineral-rich areas near the Rwandan border. M23 remains one of the most powerful factions.
The conflict has already displaced over 7 million people, according to aid agencies.
Fighting has surged across South Kivu in recent weeks despite the Washington deal.
Local UN partners say more than 200,000 people have fled their homes since 2 December, and over 70 people have been killed. Civilians have also crossed into Burundi, where shells have reportedly landed in the border town of Rugombo, raising fears that the violence could spill into Burundian territory.
Rwanda’s Role and the Growing Regional Threat
UN experts estimate that around 4,000 Rwandan troops are supporting M23 inside Congo. The group has previously threatened to advance towards Kinshasa, the Congolese capital, which lies roughly 1,600 kilometres (1,000 miles) to the west.
Earlier this year, M23 captured Goma and Bukavu, two major cities in eastern Congo, marking one of the largest escalations in the conflict in years. 