M23 Rebels Take Control of Strategic Uvira City in DR Congo

(MENAFN) M23 insurgents announced Wednesday they had taken control of Uvira, a critical trade center positioned along the Burundi frontier that functioned as South Kivu province's provisional administrative seat, marking a dramatic turn in the intensifying conflict across eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Witnesses on the ground reported that rebel forces entered the municipality approximately 11:30 a.m. local time, meeting zero opposition as they pushed toward Kavinvira at the Burundian border crossing.

Reports indicate weapons fire erupted earlier Wednesday, with AFC/M23 coalition militants observed in Kavimvira—located in Uvira's northern outskirts—since Monday, preceding their full takeover of the urban center.

South Kivu Governor Jean-Jacques Purusi had earlier Wednesday maintained that government forces still held the town.

Yet rebel spokesman Lawrence Kanyuka declared via X, the US social media platform, that the city had been "liberated."

Kanyuka called on displaced residents to come back, asserting the M23 stands ready to safeguard them.

Witnesses confirmed continued gunfire in certain districts where Wazalendo pro-government militia members remained present, with armed clashes documented in Mulongwe.

Anadolu made repeated attempts to reach provincial authorities for verification of current developments, but South Kivu officials could not be contacted.

Separately, security personnel informed UN Radio that Congolese military units had withdrawn the previous day toward Swima, Makobola, and Baraka within Fizi territory.

Burundi's Foreign Minister Edouard Bizimana confirmed on X that cross-border passage between the nations stayed operational.

The insurgent movement remained inactive for roughly ten years before rekindling hostilities in 2021, executing a rapid campaign that secured multiple territories, including provincial centers Goma and Bukavu.

Notwithstanding the Dec. 4 Congo-Rwanda accord facilitated by the US, rebels have lately pushed through numerous sections of South Kivu province.

Until Wednesday, Uvira had operated as the province's interim capital following the rebels' earlier seizure of Bukavu this year. The municipality represents a vital transit corridor linking Congo and Burundi, with numerous Burundian troops deployed in South Kivu utilizing the passage for homebound travel. The UN, Kinshasa, and other parties charge neighboring Rwanda with backing M23 forces—allegations Kigali rejects.

Uvira's fall occurred merely hours after the International Contact Group for the Great Lakes, led by Germany and comprising the US, EU, UK, and multiple European states, demanded the M23 and Rwandan military "immediately halt" offensive actions in eastern Congo.

MENAFN11122025000045017169ID1110465680