On December 10, M23 rebels backed by Rwanda seized the strategic town of Uvira in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), just days after Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwandan leader Paul Kagame met with US President Donald Trump in Washington to reaffirm a US-brokered peace deal.
Last week, in response to pressure from Washington—where US Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused Rwanda of violating the pact—M23 pledged to withdraw from Uvira to give negotiations a chance. But a senior US official told Reuters on December 23 that Washington is “not satisfied” the pullback is complete.
“There has been some movement, but we don’t feel that it really amounts to a complete liberation of the town. We do believe that the M23 continues to be positioned around the city,” the official said, noting some fighters remain in police uniforms in Uvira.
Sporadic gunfire was heard from the hills overlooking Kalundu on Tuesday morning, and both M23 and the Congolese army blamed each other for the recent violence. Rwanda denies supporting the rebels, pointing instead to Congolese and Burundian forces, even as a UN experts’ report in July concluded that Rwanda exercised command and control over M23.
Although M23 is not part of the Washington-mediated talks, it has been negotiating separately with Kinshasa in Qatar. Meanwhile, this month’s fighting has sent more than 84,000 refugees into neighboring Burundi, overwhelming its camps, according to the UN refugee agency. In South Kivu province, roughly 500,000 people have been displaced since early December, prompting the World Food Programme to scale up aid for 210,000 vulnerable residents.
Economic fallout is rising: IMF mission chief Calixte Ahokpossi estimates M23’s advances this year in North and South Kivu have shaved 0.4% off DRC’s GDP, with exceptional security spending nearing $3 billion. “If insecurity continues and cuts to investment and social programmes persist, it will have an impact on growth and the future of the country,” he warned.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
