The M23 rebels have rejected accusations by the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) government that they continue to occupy Uvira and the surrounding areas and are advancing southwards in South Kivu.
On December 18, 2025, M23 released photos and videos showing its fighters withdrawing from Uvira, saying the move followed calls from the United States government.
Before the withdrawal, the group set conditions, including the establishment of credible safeguards by peace process guarantors to oversee administration and demilitarisation of the city, protect civilians and critical infrastructure, and ensure independent ceasefire monitoring through the deployment of a neutral force.
M23 also said it would not tolerate the presence of armed groups hostile to the Burundi government on Congolese territory, adding that areas under its control would not be used as rear bases for cross-border attacks. The group said this position reflects its commitment to good neighbourly relations.
However, on January 1, 2026, the DRC government, through the Minister of Communications and Media and government spokesperson, Patrick Katembwe Muyaya, said M23 fighters had remained in Uvira and neighbouring areas and were continuing to advance southwards.
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Muyaya said information from civil society groups, humanitarian sources, and state services indicates that more than 500,000 people have been displaced. He added that civilian deaths linked to what he described as Rwandan military operations, involving bombs and kamikaze drones along the Kamanyola-Uvira axis since early December, had risen to more than 1,500.
The government also protested the alleged arrival of three new Rwandan battalions in the highlands of Uvira, Fizi, and Mwenga, which it said were operating under the cover of the Twirwaneho group. According to Muyaya, troop movements suggest a planned advance toward Fizi and a push along the strategic Kalemie axis.
He described the actions of M23 and its allies as a violation of national sovereignty, international law, and regional commitments, warning that they have worsened an already dire security and humanitarian situation and exposed civilians to grave danger.
In response, M23/AFC, through its political spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka, dismissed the government’s claims as propaganda aimed at diverting attention from what it called ceasefire violations by the Kinshasa government.
Kanyuka said government forces were exploiting M23’s withdrawal by reoccupying vacated areas and converting them into bases for launching large-scale offensives against M23 positions and civilian areas. He cited Uvira and Makobola as examples, accusing government forces of mass rapes and systematic looting.
He further rejected the government’s casualty figures as unverified, accusing Kinshasa of routinely attributing crimes to others while committing them itself. According to Kanyuka, civilian deaths resulted from air strikes and indiscriminate bombardments carried out by coalition forces led by the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC), alongside the FDLR, Mai-Mai/Wazalendo militias, foreign mercenaries, and Burundi’s National Defence Force.
He said these attacks targeted densely populated areas, including Kamanyola, Luvungi, and Sange, leaving at least eight people dead and 55 injured in Kamanyola alone.
Kanyuka also accused government forces of using heavy artillery to disperse a civilian march in Uvira on December 22, 2025, saying the action endangered lives and violated fundamental rights.
Despite ongoing peace talks in Doha, fresh violence was reported on Friday afternoon in Masisi, North Kivu, where bombs reportedly hit Masisi town, injuring several residents and destroying homes. M23 accused FARDC and its allies of carrying out the attack using drones.
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