Thousands flee militia group in Congo

TT

Published 2025-12-09 22.17

Members of the M23 militia in the city of Bukavu, north of Uvira in South Kivu earlier this year. Photo: Janvier Barhahiga/AP/TT

Thousands of people are fleeing eastern Congo-Kinshasa to seek safety in Burundi after new advances by the M23 militia group.

With the help of Rwandan-backed forces, according to military sources, the M23 has entered the strategic border town of Uvira, which is also the last major town the militia has not taken in the eastern province of South Kivu.

The M23 – which the UN says is backed by Rwanda – is said to have launched its offensive in Uvira on December 1, and fighting was ongoing as the leaders of Congo-Kinshasa and Rwanda signed a new peace agreement in the presence of US President Donald Trump in Washington DC.

“Bombs are exploding in the mountains around us. Everyone has to fend for themselves,” a Uvira resident told AFP on Tuesday.

In the past week, 30,000 Congolese are reported to have fled to neighboring Burundi, of whom 8,000 have arrived since the weekend, Burundian authorities say. The figures are confirmed by UN sources.

“These refugees have nothing, and we have nothing to give them to eat,” says an official source.