200,000 flee DRC as M23 rebels seize Uvira
About 200,000 people have fled eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo in recent days as Rwanda-backed M23 rebels advanced on the strategic city of Uvira, the United Nations reported.
Local officials said M23 fighters reached the outskirts of Uvira in South Kivu on Tuesday as part of a rapid new offensive that has already killed at least 74 people. The escalation comes just days after a U.S.-brokered peace deal between the presidents of the DRC and Rwanda—an agreement that excluded the rebels and now appears at risk, News.Az reports, citing Al Jazeera.
Despite the offensive beginning only on Monday, M23 has captured several strongholds, including Uvira, which Alain Uaykani described as “a big gain.” The city has served as a key administrative base for government forces since they were pushed out of Bukavu in January.
Congolese troops were seen retreating by boat toward Tanganyika province, with no army presence left in the city, according to Uaykani. Gunfire echoed across Uvira on Tuesday morning, and soldiers reportedly looted the governor’s office before fleeing.
Uvira’s location on the border with Burundi makes it a strategic hub. The Burundian army has supported Congolese forces for the past two years, adding further regional stakes to the rebel advance.
M23 fighters are now battling Congolese troops and allied local militias known as Wazalendo in villages north of Uvira. Civil society representatives say residents are in a state of panic as rebels push deeper into South Kivu.
A senior army officer told the Associated Press that many soldiers are fleeing toward Burundi. Meanwhile, Corneille Nangaa, head of the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC) coalition—which includes M23—called on Congolese soldiers not to abandon the city, saying, “Do not flee Uvira. Wait for us to free you.”
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