Written By | International News Reporter
More than 200,000 residents have fled the fighting, the UN says [File: AFP]
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Kinshasha
Rebel forces have reportedly entered Uvira, the last major government-held city in mineral-rich eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), prompting thousands of civilians to flee across the border into Burundi.
Residents said heavy artillery and sustained gunfire rocked the city on Wednesday, describing scenes of panic and chaos as armed fighters advanced. The escalation comes barely a week after a peace deal—brokered in Washington by US President Donald Trump between DRC President Félix Tshisekedi and Rwanda’s Paul Kagame—was announced as a step toward ending the long-running conflict.
The M23 rebel movement claimed it had “liberated” Uvira, while UN-backed Radio Okapi quoted residents saying fighters were visible on major streets. However, South Kivu Governor Jean-Jacques Purusi told local media that government forces and allied militia remained in control of the city, located just 27km from Burundi's capital, Bujumbura, across Lake Tanganyika.
Burundi has closed its border with the DRC, according to AFP, citing a source within the Burundian military.
A resident who spoke to the BBC said M23 fighters marched into Uvira from the north-east in a single column and met no resistance. Some civilians reportedly welcomed them. The city has since gone into lockdown, with schools and shops shuttered.
“Three bombs have just exploded in the hills. It’s every man for himself,” one resident told AFP. Another added: “We are all under the beds in Uvira—that’s the reality.”
A local rights official told AP that there was a “risk of a massacre” should government forces attempt a strong counter-offensive. A Burundian officer quoted by AFP said: “It’s chaotic, nobody’s in charge. Uvira is done for.”
Military and security sources said the rebel advance originated from the north, near the Burundian border. Burundi has several thousand troops deployed in eastern DRC in support of Kinshasa, and President Évariste Ndayishimiye travelled to Washington last week for the signing of the Trump-brokered accord, which the US leader hailed as a “miracle.”
On Tuesday, the United States, the European Union and eight European nations accused Rwanda of backing the M23 offensive. In a joint statement, they expressed “profound concern” over the deteriorating situation and warned that the violence could destabilise the entire region. They called on the Rwanda Defence Force to “immediately halt offensive operations” and withdraw from eastern DRC.
The US State Department reiterated the accusations, saying Rwanda “continues to provide support to M23” and must prevent further escalation.
Rwanda has denied the claims, instead accusing Congolese and Burundian forces of violating the ceasefire by bombing villages near its border. In a statement issued on X, its foreign ministry insisted the violations “cannot be placed on Rwanda” and accused both armies of “systematically” shelling civilian areas.
UN experts maintain that Rwanda’s military remains in “de facto control of M23 operations.”
The UN estimates that about 200,000 people have fled their homes in eastern DRC since the latest wave of fighting began earlier this month. At least 74 people—mostly civilians—have been killed, while 83 have been admitted to hospital with injuries. A Burundian administrative source told AFP that more than 8,000 people were crossing into Burundi daily, with 30,000 arrivals recorded in just one week.
The offensive comes nearly a year after M23 seized Goma and Bukavu, the two other major cities in the region. The rebel group is not part of the recent US-brokered agreement and is currently engaged in separate Qatar-mediated talks with the Congolese government.
In a national address on Monday, President Tshisekedi accused Rwanda of “deliberate violations” of the peace accord.
“This is a proxy war aimed at challenging our sovereignty over a highly strategic area, rich in critical minerals and economic potential that is crucial to the future of our nation,” he said.
Rwanda, in turn, accused Congolese and Burundian forces of shelling villages near its border, forcing more than 1,000 civilians to flee into its territory.
Eastern Congo has endured more than 30 years of conflict, dating back to the aftermath of the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Numerous peace deals have collapsed as multiple armed groups continue to vie for control of territory and the region’s vast mineral wealth.
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