Following the December 16 announcement by the AFC/M23 rebels to withdraw from Uvira, which they had captured on December 9, the Congolese army coalition is deploying more forces in areas surrounding the town in South Kivu Province in a bid to control it.
This authoritative news website understands that the very day AFC/M23 announced its withdrawal from Uvira, the Congolese army, FARDC, used its aircraft, B737-900, to airlift 500 soldiers from Kisangani, in Tshopo Province, to Kalemie in Tanganyika Province. These troops were transported to Baraka town in Fizi Territory, some 80 kilometers south of Uvira, to reinforce coalition forces in the area.
On the same day, two ships carrying an unidentified number of FARDC soldiers and white mercenaries arrived at Baraka Port in Fizi Territory, coming from Kalemie Port. It was after FARDC aircraft took them from Lubumbashi airport in Haut-Katanga Province to Kalemie airport on December 15.
Between December 14 and 16, DRC deployed 26 Colombian mercenaries to Mboko and Fizi Center, in Fizi territory, with three drones for launching attacks on AFC/M23 positions in Minembwe.
The new deployments signal that Kinshasa is preparing to retake Uvira after AFC/M23 withdraws.
The AFC/M23 began pulling out its forces from Uvira on December 17. The rebels referred to their withdrawal as a major confidence-building step aimed at advancing the Doha Peace Process and achieving a lasting solution to the conflict in eastern DRC.
AFC/M23 said the decision followed “significant progress” under the Doha Peace Process, including the signing of the Doha Framework Agreement on November 15, 2025.
“The movement of the AFC/M23 forces out of Uvira is underway and will be completed by tomorrow [December 18]. We call on the civilian population to remain calm. We request the mediators and other partners to ensure that Uvira is protected from violence, reprisals, and remilitarization,” Bertrand Bisimwa, the AFCM23’s deputy coordinator, said on December 17.
The rebels requested a neutral force to protect the town from violence, but it remains unclear how the force will be formed.
AFC/M23 warned against what it described as a pattern in which the Congolese army coalition exploits peace gestures to retake territory and target civilians accused of sympathizing with the rebels.