M23 Rebels Pledge Withdrawal from Congo’s Uvira Amid U.S. Pressure

Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have said they will withdraw from the eastern Congolese town of Uvira following criticism from the United States, which warned that the seizure of the border town threatened ongoing peace efforts. The move comes less than a week after the presidents of Congo and Rwanda met U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington and reaffirmed their commitment to the Washington Accords aimed at ending the conflict.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Rwanda’s actions in eastern Congo violated the accords and pledged to take action to ensure commitments were upheld. Rwanda has denied backing the M23 rebels, instead blaming Congolese and Burundian forces for renewed fighting, despite a United Nations report stating that Rwanda exercised command and control over the group.

Corneille Nangaa, leader of the Congo River Alliance that includes M23, said the planned withdrawal was a “unilateral trust-building measure” to give the Doha peace process the best chance to succeed. However, a civil society activist in Uvira said rebels were still present on Tuesday, even as M23 sources claimed both rebel and Congolese forces would pull back 5 km to create a buffer zone.

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