DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — The Rwandan-backed rebel group M23 said it had taken control of the strategic town of Uvira in eastern Congo on Wednesday afternoon after a rapid advance since the start of the month.
A statement made on Channel X by M23 spokesman Lawrence Kaniuka called on citizens to return to their homes. Uvira is an important port city at the northern tip of Lake Tanganyika, located directly opposite Burundi's largest city, Bujumbura.
Congolese authorities did not immediately comment on whether the M23 had seized the city.
The latest M23 offensive comes despite a US-brokered peace deal signed last week by the presidents of Congo and Rwanda in Washington. The agreement does not include the rebels, who are in separate talks with Congo and earlier this year agreed to a ceasefire that both sides accuse each other of violating, but it commits Rwanda to stop supporting armed groups and work to end the fighting.
Residents of Uvira reported a chaotic night as Congolese army troops fled and gunfire was reported throughout the city.
More than 100 armed groups are fighting for a foothold in Congo's mineral-rich eastern region near the border with Rwanda, the most prominent of which is the M23 group. The conflict has led to one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, with more than 7 million people forced from their homes, officials say.
Last week, residents said fighting in South Kivu had intensified despite an agreement signed in Washington with US President Donald Trump.
Local UN partners report that since December 2, more than 200,000 people have been forced to flee their homes across the province, and more than 70 of them have been killed. Civilians have also crossed the border into Burundi, and there have been reports of shells falling in the town of Rugombo, on the Burundian side of the border, raising concerns about the conflict spreading into Burundian territory.
The rebels in Congo are supported by about 4,000 troops from neighboring Rwanda and have at times vowed to march to Congo's capital, Kinshasa, about 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) to the east, according to U.N. experts.
Earlier this year, the M23 captured Goma and Bukavu, two key cities in eastern Congo, in a major escalation of the decades-long conflict.
