Congolese Soldiers Reenter Key Eastern City after M23 Rebels’ Withdrawal, Army and Residents Say

Congolese soldiers and fighters from a pro-government militia have reentered the strategic eastern town of Uvira, the army and residents said Monday, a month after it was seized by the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels, as fighting in the region escalated despite a U.S.-mediated peace deal. 
 
The Congolese army said in a statement it took control of the city on Sunday following the rebels announced withdrawal last month. 
 
“The Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo are continuing their deployment in Uvira and surrounding areas to consolidate their positions and secure people and their property,” Congolese army spokesperson Mak Hazukay said in the statement. 
 
Congolese army jeeps were patrolling Uvira on Monday morning, but sporadic gunfire continued, with uncertainty over whether it involved Wazalendo fighters, soldiers, or residents in the city flooded with weapons, said Ghislain Kabamba, director of the Observatory for Human Rights, Justice, and Local Governance for Social Cohesion in Congo, who is based in Uvira. 
 
M23 had taken control of the city last month following a rapid offensive. More than 1,500 people have been killed and about 300,000 displaced, the Congolese government’s spokesperson Patrick Muyaya said Monday. 
 
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