M23 militia says will withdraw from key DRC city of Uvira
Africa
By
AFP
| Dec 16, 2025
The M23 armed group said Tuesday it had agreed to a request from the United States to withdraw from the key city of Uvira in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Rwanda-backed militia seized the strategic city near the border with Burundi last week, days after the Congolese and Rwandan governments signed a peace deal in Washington -- whose future has been cast in doubt by the M23 advance, raising fears of a wider regional war.
The group "will unilaterally withdraw its forces from the city of Uvira, as requested by the US mediators", it said in a statement signed by its coordinator, Corneil Nangaa.
The M23 called for "adequate measures" to be put in place to manage the city, including "demilitarisation, protecting its population and infrastructure, and monitoring the ceasefire with a neutral force".
It called for implementation of a framework ceasefire deal reached in a parallel peace process negotiated in the Qatari capital Doha, which was agreed in November but never respected on the ground.
READ MORE
Angola proposes new DR Congo ceasefire
South Africa to withdraw troops from UN mission in DR Congo
Kipyegon among super-fast stars invited for Sirikwa Classic XC tour
Deadly landslide strikes M23 held mining site in DRC
DR Congo city residents forced to adapt during year of M23 rule
South Korean ex-PM Han gets 23 years jail for martial law role
Uhuru warns against fragmented peace talks for eastern DRC
In east DR Congo, minors face systematic risk of sexual violence
M23 consolidates control of DR Congo city, bodies in streets
The M23 said it was withdrawing as a gesture "to instil trust in order to give the Doha peace process every chance to succeed".
The DRC's mineral-rich east has been ravaged by three decades of conflict.