The strategic city of Uvira has become the scene of clashes between rebels from the M23 movement and government troops. The situation is also critical in the province of North Kivu, where dozens of wounded civilians, including children, are filling the hospitals after airstrikes on the town of Masisi.
Fierce fighting broke out on Saturday between members of the Rwanda-backed March 23 Movement (M23) and pro-government troops in several locations around the strategically important town of Uvira in South Kivu province in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Referring to local sources, AFP reported about it.
- Fighting broke out around Uvira in South Kivu province.
- Six people were killed in a drone attack in North Kivu.
- During the bombing, humanitarian aid was provided to the wounded.
- The crisis escalates from 2021 due to the recovery of the M23.
The command of the M23 movement announced on December 17 – under pressure from the US – that it was withdrawing from Uvira, while at the same time asking mediators to ensure the protection of the city from violence and “remilitarization”.
Victims of attacks in North Kivu
Since Friday, there have also been reports of intense fighting in the neighboring province of North Kivu, where, according to local sources, at least six people were killed and another 41 were injured in a drone attack in the town of Masisi, which is one of the important agricultural areas of the province of North Kivu. This attack is attributed to the DRC military.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reported on social networks that 42 injured people, including many children and women, were admitted to the hospital after an airstrike in one of the neighborhoods of Masisi. MSF added that two injured people admitted to the hospital succumbed to their injuries.
Escalation of conflict from 2021
The situation in the DRC began to deteriorate from 2021, due to the resurgence of the M23 movement. After the rebels captured the cities of Goma and Bukavu in the east of the DRC at the end of 2025, they also launched a new offensive in the province of South Kivu, where on December 10 they gained control of Uvira – a strategic town near the border with Burundi, which is an ally of the DRC.
Militants from the M23 then also took control of the border areas – this happened at a time when the DRC and Rwanda were signing a peace agreement in Washington mediated by US President Donald Trump.
