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Uvira, Democratic Republic of the Congo – On the roads of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s South Kivu province, rebels are pulling backmost from the cardinal metropolis they seized past week. But not each residents of the country they occupied look gladsome to spot them go.
The latest surge successful unit successful the DRC’s eastbound began much than a week ago. Last Tuesday, fighters with the M23 rebel radical that has waged a years-long rebellion against the government, stormed into the strategical metropolis of Uvira – located on the borderline with Rwanda and Burundi, and the past existent eastbound stronghold of the Congolese army.
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The fighters, which the United Nations and United States accidental are backed by Rwanda, person engaged successful fierce battles with Congolese soldiers and their allied “Wazalendo” militias, which had been utilizing Uvira arsenic a basal since M23 seized different determination capitals from the government’s power earlier this year.
The M23 violative came conscionable days aft a determination peace agreement was signed successful the US betwixt Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwanda’s Paul Kagame, and little than a period aft the signing successful Qatar of a abstracted accord to extremity years of warring betwixt M23 and the DRC government.
By past Wednesday, M23 had pushed retired the service and taken power of Uvira.
One time later, we arrived successful the metropolis arsenic the archetypal squad of planetary reporters to marque it determination since the takeover.
On the roadworthy there, we could spot and odor the grounds of war: corpses strewn on the way, including soldiers and immoderate civilians; burned-out carcasses of subject vehicles; and groups of displaced radical walking.
While immoderate were fleeing, galore we spoke to were returning from Uvira backmost to the towns and cities they had fled erstwhile they came nether onslaught successful the past fewer weeks, arsenic M23 made its mode done territories towards Uvira.
As we made our mode to the city, we witnessed the devastation caused by the caller fighting. All astir america were the signs of violence: trucks destroyed, immoderate with burned bodies of soldiers inactive successful them; emptied houses; and, successful the streets, unexploded bombs.
When we yet made it into Uvira, the metropolis was quiet, the roads empty. No cars moved on the streets, arsenic residents milled astir successful beforehand of their houses, trying to spot what was happening.
Moving on antithetic avenues, members of the Red Cross were retired collecting the bodies. They said it was hard to archer however those radical had died, but residents told Al Jazeera that galore were killed successful the crossfire and frenzy erstwhile the service and militias were retreating arsenic M23 stormed in.
The authorities said much than 400 people were killed successful the violence, a fig we person not been capable to independently verify.
Members of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Red Cross run astatine the entranceway of the municipality of Uvira connected December 13, 2025 [AFP]Fear versus relief
In the days pursuing M23’s takeover, a consciousness of fearfulness was palpable successful Uvira. Some residents expressed worries astir what the rebels’ beingness meant for the city.
When the radical took power of Goma, the superior of neighbouring North Kivu province, successful January, and past seized South Kivu’s capital, Bukavu, successful February, businesses suffered. Government workers, civilian servants and others formally employed person been incapable to work.
In Goma, for example, wherever I person been based arsenic a newsman for 4 years, nary banks person operated since M23 took over.
But amid the fears, determination are groups of residents who conscionable look relieved. Many told america they felt fortunate that the metropolis had avoided a convulsive confrontation betwixt M23 and the Congolese service and its militias, which mightiness person besieged and bombarded Uvira for weeks.
By Saturday, arsenic M23’s power of the metropolis settled in, residents emerged from their homes. By Monday, those radical who could, resumed work, shops were opened and regular beingness continued.
Although the residents we spoke to are alert that governmental discussions are taking spot successful Kinshasa, galore are much acrophobic astir the day-to-day situation of getting by without the menace of violence. Some said they consciousness their quiescent lives person been upturned little by the rebels than by the Congolese service and its militias, which began massing successful the country this twelvemonth to usage arsenic a basal from which to tackle M23.
A Wazalendo combatant surrenders a limb to members of the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel radical connected December 15, 2025, successful Uvira, Democratic Republic of the Congo [Daniel Buuma/Getty Images]‘We suffered with the equipped groups’
M23 was archetypal formed much than a decennary agone aft a mutiny wrong the Congolese nationalist army. The group, composed chiefly of Tutsis, says it is warring for the rights of radical from its taste assemblage who person been marginalised by the state.
In 2012, M23 captured Goma, earlier the rebels were forced backmost a twelvemonth aboriginal by a conjugation of Congolese forces, the United Nations and overseas troops.
But the radical re-emerged successful precocious 2021, fortified by, the UN says, immoderate 4,000 Rwandan soldiers, a assertion Kigali denies. This newer, stronger M23 has since made important gains, capturing Goma again this year, followed by Bukavu and different cardinal areas.
As M23 has advanced, the Congolese service has allied itself with different equipped groups to assistance it combat the rebels.
But critics accidental the authorities does not person effectual power implicit these disparate militias, with galore accused of abuses successful the areas they oversee.
After the M23 took Goma and Bukavu, Uvira – an important larboard metropolis connected the bluish extremity of Lake Tanganyika, straight crossed from Burundi’s largest city, Bujumbura – became a awesome of absorption for the government. It was a metropolis wherever subject heads, militia leaders and politicians from Kinshasa besides gathered.
But for galore residents, this has meant 7 to 8 months of limbo astatine the mercy of those soldiers and militia groups. Many radical successful Uvira told america they had been near traumatised by the militias, immoderate of whom they impeach of beating and stealing from locals.
While they bash not needfully enactment M23 rebels either, they are grateful that erstwhile the rebels took power of the city, astatine slightest the gunshots stopped.
“We suffered present a batch with the equipped groups operating nether the government,” Eliza Mapendo told Al Jazeera from a marketplace successful Uvira, 1 among respective residents blaming the service and militias for overrunning the country and sometimes harassing the community.
“For now, we consciousness bully enough, secure, this is however we are moving freely astatine this market. They [the equipped militias] could bushed without immoderate crushed and instrumentality your concern away. But contiguous it is OK here,” Mapendo said.
‘We person nary occupation with anyone’
Soon aft the M23 seized power of Uvira, some the UN and the US called connected the rebels to withdraw.
Eventually, this Wednesday, the radical began pulling retired successful what it called a “unilateral trust-building measure” to springiness the bid process a accidental to succeed.
Lines of thousands of fighters, with large cars, weapons and dense machinery, moved done the metropolis and retired of it connected Thursday and Friday.
Some Uvira residents were happy, arsenic they felt the determination would mean a instrumentality to administrative normality.
But others told Al Jazeera they were concerned. “When the rebels leave, volition the militia groups instrumentality and ace down connected us?” immoderate wonder.
In South Kivu connected Friday, the concern remained fragile, arsenic the Congolese subject resumed firing connected immoderate positions held by the M23 not acold from Uvira.
Meanwhile successful the city, astir radical don’t truly caput who ends up successful complaint – they conscionable privation an extremity to the violence.
“We don’t cognize thing astir the governmental process they are talking about,” 1 resident, Feza Mariam, told Al Jazeera. “The lone happening we request is peace. Anyone capable to supply america with bid is invited here. For the rest, we arsenic citizens, we don’t attraction astir it.”
Bishi Bishala, different metropolis resident, feels similarly.
“The rebels arrived present past week, and present they person been asked to permission arsenic portion of the bid process,” helium said. “As the radical of Uvira, we person nary occupation with anyone. What we request is peace. Whoever comes with bid is invited here.”
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