Overview
- Residents and local officials report M23 fighters still stationed around government sites and main roads in the border city days after the pullout announcement.
- M23 spokesperson Willy Ngoma says the group is ready to leave if its conditions are met, including demilitarization and deployment of a neutral protection force.
- DRC government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya dismisses the pledge as a diversion aimed at easing potential US measures against Rwanda, which denies backing the rebels.
- The withdrawal vow followed US and Qatari mediation, with Washington warning of consequences and analysts pointing to sanctions pressure as a key lever.
- Congo’s army reports daily clashes across North and South Kivu, and UN figures indicate more than 40,000 people fled after Uvira’s fall, compounding humanitarian strain and border disruptions.