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M23 Fighters Enter Uvira Suburbs as Offensive Drives Tens of Thousands Into Burundi

The push days after a Washington-brokered paper underscores the breakdown of promised de-escalation.

Overview

  • M23 combatants moved into Uvira’s northern suburbs on Tuesday evening, with a Congolese army officer reporting bomb drops and saying his unit left the city around 5:30 p.m. local time.
  • Roughly 30,000 people fled into Burundi within a week, according to the United Nations and Burundian authorities.
  • Eyewitnesses reported clashes in nearby Runingo and bombardments on hills around Uvira, with residents sheltering indoors as panic grew.
  • The United States, Germany and other Contact Group members urged an immediate stop to the offensive and called for a Rwandan pullout, while Kinshasa accuses Kigali of violating the deal.
  • The advance began on December 1 from Kamanyola, with reports of looting and several hundred Congolese and Burundian soldiers crossing into Burundi as Burundi’s long-standing deployment in eastern DRC continues.