Key Points
- Fighting flared near Uvira between M23 rebels and pro government forces
- Violence has forced mass displacement and strained regional security
- Conflict persists despite US-brokered peace efforts and rebel withdrawal promises
UVIRA, Democratic Republic of the Congo: Fresh clashes erupted on Friday around the strategic eastern city of Uvira in the South Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with gunfire exchanged between the March 23 Movement (M23) rebel group and pro-government militias
According to local security and civil society sources reported by the Punch Newspapers, the fighting came just days after the M23 announced it would withdraw its forces from Uvira under pressure from U.S. mediators and as part of ongoing Doha-mediated talks, moves aimed at bolstering a fragile peace process. But rebels and government fighters continued to trade fire near the city, leaving the situation volatile, according to Africanews.
Local leaders in Uvira reported heavy gunfire “heard across the city” on Friday, with clashes between M23 elements and the pro-Kinshasa Wazalendo militia disrupting what residents hoped would be a lull following weeks of intense fighting.
The renewed violence has compounded an already dire humanitarian crisis. Regional officials say more than 413 civilians have been killed in fighting across Uvira territory since early December, including women, children and young people, and hundreds of thousands have been displaced, with refugees crossing into neighbouring Burundi and other parts of eastern Congo, according to The EastAfrican.
The United Nations and humanitarian agencies have repeatedly sounded the alarm over population movements, crowded shelters and strained resources, as access to essential services such as healthcare, water and electricity has deteriorated amid the insecurity, according to UNICEF.
International efforts to end the conflict, including a US-brokered peace agreement signed earlier this month between the Congolese and Rwandan presidents, have so far failed to halt hostilities, in part because the M23 group was not formally part of that deal and continues to press territorial gains, according to Reuters.
As Uvira and its surroundings remain tense, residents express fatigue with political manoeuvring and the urgent need for stability. Many civilians who fled earlier clashes have returned tentatively to markets and homes, only to once again seek shelter amid fresh rounds of gunfire, according to Al Jazeera.
