Overview

• Ugandan troops engaged in heavy clashes with the Codeco militia in Ituri province, reporting 242 rebel fighters killed, though Codeco disputes these figures.
• The M23 rebel group, which controls key areas in eastern Congo, expressed conditional willingness to withdraw from Walikale and pursue a ceasefire.
• The decades-long conflict in eastern Congo is rooted in ethnic tensions, land disputes, and regional geopolitics, with Rwanda and Uganda playing prominent roles.
• Over 100,000 people have fled to neighboring countries since January 2025, with hundreds of thousands more internally displaced, as humanitarian aid dwindles.
• The Congolese government accuses Rwanda of using M23 to exploit the region's mineral wealth, while Uganda's military presence aims to counter rebel threats and prevent refugee flows.