Residents emerge in DR Congo’s tense Uvira after M23 rebel takeover

A cautious calm has settled implicit the eastbound Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) metropolis of Uvira successful South Kivu province, arsenic residents statesman emerging from their homes pursuing its seizure by M23 rebels.

The seizure earlier this week threatens to derail a United States-brokered bid agreement, signed with overmuch fanfare and overseen by President Donald Trump a week ago, betwixt Congolese and Rwandan leaders, with Washington accusing Rwanda connected Friday of igniting the offensive.

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Regional authorities accidental astatine slightest 400 civilians, including women and children, person been killed successful the unit betwixt the cities of Bukavu and Uvira, some present nether M23 control.

Al Jazeera is the lone planetary broadcaster successful Uvira, wherever analogous Alain Uaykani connected Saturday described an uneasy calm successful the larboard metropolis connected the bluish extremity of Lake Tanganyika, which sits straight crossed from Burundi’s largest city, Bujumbura.

Uaykani said authorities and allied militias, known arsenic “Wazalendo”, which had been utilizing the metropolis arsenic a headquarters, began fleeing adjacent earlier M23 fighters entered.

Residents who fled arsenic the Rwanda-backed radical precocious person begun returning to their homes, though astir shops and businesses stay shuttered.

“People are coming out, they consciousness the fearfulness is down them,” Uaykani said, though helium noted the concern remains fragile with signs of aggravated combat disposable passim the city.

Bienvenue Mwatumabire, a nonmigratory of Uvira, told Al Jazeera helium was astatine enactment erstwhile warring betwixt rebels and authorities forces broke out, and helium heard gunshots from a neighbouring colony and decided to stop, but said that “today we person noticed things are getting backmost to normal.”

Baoleze Beinfait, different Uvira resident, said radical successful the metropolis were not being harassed by the rebels, but added, “We volition spot however things are successful the coming days.”

M23’s spokesperson defended the offensive, claiming the radical had “liberated” Uvira from what helium called “terrorist forces”. The rebels accidental they are protecting taste Tutsi communities successful eastbound DRC, a portion that has seen warring intensify since earlier this year.

The offensive, which began connected December 2, has displaced much than 200,000 radical crossed South Kivu province, according to section United Nations partners.

Rwanda accused of backing rebels

South Kivu officials said Rwandan peculiar forces and overseas mercenaries were operating successful Uvira “in wide violation” of some the caller Washington accords and earlier ceasefire agreements reached successful Doha, Qatar.

At the UN Security Council connected Friday, US ambassador Mike Waltz accused Rwanda of starring the portion “towards accrued instability and war,” informing that Washington would clasp spoilers to bid accountable.

Waltz said Rwanda has maintained strategical power of M23 since the radical re-emerged successful 2021, with betwixt 5,000 and 7,000 Rwandan troops warring alongside the rebels successful Congo arsenic of aboriginal December.

“Kigali has been intimately progressive successful readying and executing the warfare successful eastbound DRC,” Waltz told the UNSC, referring to Rwanda’s capital.

Rwanda’s UN ambassador denied the allegations, accusing the DRC of violating the ceasefire. Rwanda acknowledges having troops successful eastbound DRC but says they are determination to safeguard its security, peculiarly against Hutu militia groups that fled crossed the borderline to Congo aft Rwanda’s 1994 genocide.

The autumn of Uvira has raised the alarm successful neighbouring Burundi, which has deployed forces to the region. Burundi’s UN ambassador warned that “restraint has its limits,” saying continued attacks would marque it hard to debar nonstop confrontation betwixt the 2 countries.

More than 30,000 refugees person fled into Burundi successful caller days.

The DRC’s overseas curate urged the UNSC to clasp Rwanda accountable, saying “impunity has gone connected for acold excessively long”.

A study by the American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats task said Rwanda provided important enactment to M23’s Uvira offensive, calling it the group’s astir consequential cognition since March.

Al Jazeera’s UN analogous Kristen Saloomey said UNSC members were briefed by experts who noted that civilians successful DRC are not benefitting from the caller agreements negotiated betwixt Kinshasa and Kigali.

More than 100 equipped groups are warring for power of mineral-rich eastbound DRC adjacent the Rwandan border. The struggle has created 1 of the world’s largest humanitarian crises, with much than 7 cardinal radical displaced crossed the region.

The M23 radical is not enactment to the Washington-mediated negotiations betwixt DRC and Rwanda, participating alternatively successful abstracted talks with the Congolese authorities hosted by Qatar.