DR Congo rebels to withdraw from key city at US request
The US, through Secretary of State Marco Rubio, had criticized the rebels’ capture of Uvira as a violation of a peace deal and warned it would act to ensure commitments to US President Donald Trump’s initiative were upheld. Nangaa called for a neutral force to monitor a ceasefire and prevent DRC’s army from retaking lost territory. No timeline for the withdrawal has been specified.
The offensive in Uvira, near Burundi’s northern tip of Lake Tanganyika, has displaced around 200,000 people and killed at least 74, mostly civilians, according to the UN. Eastern DRC has suffered decades of conflict, with multiple failed peace initiatives.
The US-backed peace efforts are closely linked to regional geopolitics. Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame and DRC’s President Felix Tshisekedi signed a US-hosted peace accord on 4 December, though the rebels themselves were not party to the agreement. The Trump administration has expressed hopes that stabilizing the region will also pave the way for US investment in DRC’s vast mineral wealth, estimated at $25tn, including cobalt, copper, lithium, and other resources crucial for electronics and green technologies.
Earlier in 2025, the M23 captured Goma and Bukavu, the two largest cities in North and South Kivu provinces, challenging the DRC army and allied Burundian forces. The Uvira advance marked the last major government stronghold in South Kivu before this latest development.
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