The hope for a sustainable peace in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is rapidly diminishing as fresh fighting erupted Friday in the strategic town of Uvira. The clashes come just days after the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group promised a unilateral withdrawal from the area following intense international pressure.
The M23 captured Uvira on December 10, a move that directly violated a U.S.-brokered peace deal signed by Kinshasa and Kigali only days earlier in Washington. While the rebels are not formal parties to that accord, they have been conducting separate negotiations in Qatar. Despite M23’s recent pledge to pull back as a “trust-building measure,” local residents and security officials report that rebel fighters remain in the city, many having merely swapped their fatigues for plainclothes or police uniforms.
On Friday, the Congolese military (FARDC) reportedly launched drone strikes against rebel-held speedboats at Kalundu port on Lake Tanganyika. Regional military spokesperson Reagan Mbuyi Kalonji confirmed the destruction of two vessels, which he stated were carrying weapons and military equipment. Heavy gunfire was also reported in the hills overlooking the town, where Kinshasa alleges M23 forces have regrouped rather than retreated.
The ongoing offensive has triggered a massive humanitarian crisis. According to the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR), the fall of Uvira earlier this month forced tens of thousands of civilians to flee into neighboring Burundi, overwhelming local capacity. The resurgence of violence underscores the widening gap between high-level diplomatic commitments and the volatile reality on the ground in South Kivu.
