Rwanda-backed M23 rebels said they will withdraw from the eastern Congolese town of Uvira following a request from the US administration. The seizure of the town last week had raised concerns in Washington about the future of ongoing peace talks.
The move comes shortly after the presidents of Congo and Rwanda met with President Donald Trump in Washington, where both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the Washington Accords aimed at ending violence in eastern Congo.
The M23 rebel group says it would withdraw from the eastern DR Congo town of Uvira at the request of the US administration, which had criticised seizure of the town as a threat to mediation effortshttps://t.co/2ggdouUGiL pic.twitter.com/vcy1YI2jcU
— TRT Afrika (@trtafrika) December 16, 2025
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Rwanda’s actions violated those commitments and warned of consequences.
M23 leader Corneille Nangaa described the planned withdrawal as a unilateral trust-building step to support parallel peace talks hosted by Qatar. M23 is not formally part of the Washington Accords negotiations.
The Rwanda-backed M23 group has captured hundreds of Burundian soldiers during its latest offensive in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a rebel official said, as clashes continued despite a warning from the Trump administration https://t.co/VRhnBAbHbB pic.twitter.com/NH8unuJkx3
— Reuters (@Reuters) December 15, 2025
Rwanda has denied backing the rebels, despite United Nations findings stating Kigali exercises control over M23.
Local activists said rebels remained in Uvira as of Tuesday. M23’s recent offensive has killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands.
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TIPP Staff
TIPP Staff
