Over 400 civilians killed in fighting in eastern Congo, despite
US-mediated peace deal
[December 11, 2025]
By JUSTIN KABUMBA and MONIKA PRONCZUK
GOMA, Congo (AP) — More than 400 civilians have been killed as the
Rwanda-backed M23 armed group continues its offensive in Kivu province
in eastern Congo, regional officials said late Wednesday, adding that
Rwandan special forces were in the strategic city of Uvira.
M23’s latest offensive comes despite a U.S.-mediated peace agreement
signed last week by the Congolese and Rwandan presidents in Washington.
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 and work to end hostilities.
“More than 413 civilians (have been) killed by bullets, grenades, and
bombs, including many women, children, and young people” in localities
between Uvira and Bukavu, the regional capital, the South Kivu
government spokesperson said in a statement late Wednesday.
“According to the information gathered, the forces present in the city
are composed of Rwandan special forces and some of their foreign
mercenaries, operating in clear violation of the ceasefire as well as
the Washington and Doha agreements, in total disregard of the
commitments made," the statement added.
M23 said it had taken control of the strategic city of Uvira in eastern
Congo on Wednesday afternoon, following a rapid offensive since the
start of the month.
The announcement by M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka, posted on the
social platform X, encouraged citizens who fled to return to their
homes. Uvira is an important port city on the northern tip of Lake
Tanganyika and is directly across from neighboring Burundi’s largest
city, Bujumbura.
Congo, the U.S. and U.N. experts accuse Rwanda of backing M23, which had
hundreds of members in 2021. Now, according to the U.N., the group has
around 6,500 fighters.
While Rwanda denies that claim, it acknowledged last year that it has
troops and missile systems in eastern Congo, allegedly to safeguard its
security. U.N. experts estimate there are up to 4,000 Rwandan forces in
Congo.
Burundian Foreign Minister Edouard Bizimana, in an interview with French
state media RFI on Wednesday, urged the U.S. to pressure Rwandan
President Paul Kagame to ensure the implementation of the agreement
signed in the U.S., saying, “M23 without Kagame, without Rwanda, is
nothing.”
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M23 rebels escort government soldiers and police who surrendered to
an undisclosed location in Goma, Democratic republic of the Congo,
Jan. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa, File)
Bizimana said the capture of Uvira poses a threat to the economic
capital, Bujumbura.
“We have registered more than 30,000 refugees and asylum seekers in
the last three days… Uvira and Bujumbura are coastal cities. What
threatens Uvira also threatens Bujumbura."
In a statement Wednesday, the U.S. Embassy in Kinshasa urged M23 and
Rwandan troops to cease all offensive operations and for the Rwandan
Defense Forces to withdraw to Rwanda.
On Wednesday morning, the Rwandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs blamed
the Congolese armed forces for the recent ceasefire violations in a
statement on X.
“The DRC has openly stated that it would not observe any ceasefire,
and was fighting to recapture territories lost to AFC/M23, even as
the peace process unfolded,” it said.
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,
officials say.
Local U.N. partners report that more than 200,000 people have been
displaced across the province since Dec. 2, with more than 70
killed. Civilians also have crossed into Burundi, and there have
been reports of shells falling in the town of Rugombo, on the
Burundian side of the border, raising concerns about the conflict
spilling over into Burundian territory.
—
Pronczuk reported from Dakar, Senegal. Associated Press writer
Renovat Ndabashinze in Bujumbura, Burundi, contributed to this
report.
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