Rwanda-backed M23 rebels say they will withdraw from seized city in eastern Congo

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Rwanda-backed M23 rebels said Tuesday they will withdraw from Uvira, the strategic city in eastern Congo seized last week, as fighting in the region escalated despite a U.S.-mediated peace deal.

Corneille Nangaa, leader of the Congo River Alliance, which includes M23, said the withdrawal was requested by the U.S. and is a “unilateral trust-building measure” to facilitate the peace process.

The statement also called for the demilitarization of Uvira, the protection of its population and infrastructure, and the monitoring of the ceasefire through the deployment of a neutral force. It did not say whether M23’s withdrawal is contingent on implementing these measures.

Uvira residents said Tuesday that the rebels are still in the town.

M23 took control of the city last week following a rapid offensive launched at the start of the month. Along with the more than 400 people killed, about 200,000 have been displaced, regional officials say.

The rebels’ latest offensive comes despite a U.S.-mediated peace agreement signed earlier this month by the Congolese and Rwandan presidents in Washington.

The U.S. last week accused Rwanda of violating the agreement by backing a deadly new rebel offensive in the mineral-rich eastern Congo, and warned that the Trump administration will take action against “spoilers” of the deal.

The accord didn’t include the rebel group, which is negotiating separately with Congo and agreed earlier this year to a ceasefire that both sides accuse the other of violating. However, it obliges Rwanda to halt support for armed groups like M23 and work to end hostilities.

The rebels’ advance pushed the conflict to the doorstep of neighboring Burundi, which has maintained troops in eastern Congo for years, heightening fears of a broader regional spillover.

At least 30,000 Congolese have crossed the nearby border into Burundi since Dec.8, according to the Burundian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. There have also been reports of shells falling in the town of Rugombo, on the Burundian side of the border.

Congo, the U.S. and U.N. experts accuse Rwanda of backing M23, which has grown from hundreds of members in 2021 to around 6,500 fighters, according to the U.N.

More than 100 armed groups are vying for a foothold in mineral-rich eastern Congo, near the border with Rwanda, most prominently M23. The conflict has created one of the world’s most significant humanitarian crises, with more than 7 million people displaced, according to the U.N. agency for refugees.