UVIRA, DR Congo — A tenuous ceasefire in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is showing fresh signs of strain as the Congolese government and the AFC/M23 rebel alliance accuse each other of renewed attacks around Uvira and the South Kivu highlands, while displaced families say they remain trapped in a cycle of truce announcements and continued fighting. Africanews reported Monday that both sides offered sharply conflicting accounts of who violated the latest halt in hostilities.
Kinshasa says the rebels are using diplomacy as cover to consolidate gains on the ground. Uvira Mayor Kifara Kapenda Kyk’y, quoted by Africanews, said the government wants peace while accusing the rebels of seeking territorial expansion and looting in areas under their control. M23 officials reject that claim and instead say Congolese forces resumed offensives, including strikes on rebel positions and surrounding areas. AFC/M23 coordinator Corneille Nangaa told Africanews that Kinshasa is using ceasefire violations as a war strategy.
The competing narratives are deepening mistrust at a sensitive moment for regional mediation efforts. Reuters reported earlier this month that the U.N. peacekeeping mission planned reconnaissance flights to Uvira as part of preparations for ceasefire monitoring linked to broader mediation efforts, including talks involving Qatar and parallel diplomacy backed by the United States. Reuters also noted that Uvira remains a strategic city after M23 captured it in December 2025 and later withdrew under pressure, allowing Congolese forces to return.
On the ground, civilians continue to bear the brunt. Africanews reported testimonies from displaced residents in a makeshift camp in Uvira who said clashes persisted despite repeated ceasefire declarations, including fighting in Lemera. Residents appealed for authorities and armed actors to reach a durable agreement so families can return home, farm and rebuild.
Civil society groups cited by Africanews said Congolese-aligned Wazalendo fighters clashed over the weekend with M23-backed Twirwaneho forces, highlighting the complexity of the conflict, which involves not only the main belligerents but also local militias and allied armed groups. Reuters separately reported in early February that fighting had intensified in the Minembwe highlands involving AFC/M23 and Twirwaneho, underscoring how violence in South Kivu continues to test ceasefire commitments.
For residents in and around Uvira, diplomacy is still moving but peace remains precarious.
