M23 rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo announced on Tuesday that they would withdraw their forces from the strategic city of Uvira, which the group captured last week during a renewed offensive in the country’s east.
The announcement was made in a statement released by the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC/M23) coalition, an umbrella group that includes M23. The statement said that the withdrawal was being carried out at the request of U.S. mediators.
“AFC/M23 will unilaterally withdraw its forces from the city of Uvira as requested by the United States mediation,” the group said, adding that the decision was taken “to give the Qatar-brokered peace process the maximum chance to succeed.”
Uvira, located in South Kivu province near the Rwandan border, was seized last week as part of a renewed M23 offensive in eastern Congo. The advance came less than a week after the December 4 signing of the so-called Washington Accords, in which the presidents of Rwanda and the DRC reaffirmed previous commitments aimed at de-escalating the conflict.
M23, however, is not a signatory to the agreement. Only Rwanda and the Congolese government signed the declaration, despite long-standing accusations that Kigali provides backing to the rebel group.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the renewed M23 offensive as a “clear violation” of the Washington Accords, though Washington has stopped short of directly accusing Rwanda of orchestrating the attacks.
Since early this year, M23 has launched multiple offensives across eastern Congo, capturing the North Kivu provincial capital of Goma in January and the South Kivu capital Bukavu in February, along with several towns and mineral-rich areas. Numerous ceasefires and mediation efforts involving the United States and Qatar have failed to halt the group’s advance.
The renewed fighting in the DRC marks the collapse of one of two conflicts U.S. President Donald Trump has claimed to have resolved following the resurgence of intense border fighting between Cambodia and Thailand, which prompted Trump to personally call leaders from both countries in an effort to restore a ceasefire.