{"id":2000111599,"date":"2026-05-11T15:54:38","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T13:54:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/?p=2000111599"},"modified":"2026-05-11T16:25:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T14:25:11","slug":"wazalendo-fighters-take-over-parts-of-uvira-following-afc-m23-pullback","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wazalendo-fighters-take-over-parts-of-uvira-following-afc-m23-pullback\/","title":{"rendered":"Wazalendo fighters take over parts of Uvira following AFC\/M23 pullback"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The move marked the second withdrawal by AFC\/M23 from the region in recent months. In January 2026, the coalition pulled its fighters out of Uvira town and surrounding areas, redeploying them to northern localities including Sange, Lubirizi, Bwegera and Luvungi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before the latest withdrawal, AFC\/M23 had called on the international community to deploy neutral monitoring forces in the area, arguing that the return of Congolese troops and Wazalendo militias would once again expose civilians to insecurity, as had allegedly happened before the coalition took control of the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, with no neutral force deployed, AFC\/M23 remained relatively close to Uvira. At the same time, the United States reportedly continued pressing the coalition to return to positions it occupied before fighting intensified in the Ruzizi Plain in December 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reports indicated that Washington wanted AFC\/M23 fighters to pull back as far as Kamanyola Centre in Walungu Territory, a proposal that reportedly created a dilemma for the coalition, which maintains that many residents in the newly captured areas viewed it as a source of protection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the coalition, the United States had assured AFC\/M23 that if it withdrew within a distance of about 75 kilometers, neutral forces would then be deployed to freely monitor the vacated zones. Despite those assurances, confidence in such guarantees remained low.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The skepticism stems partly from previous AFC\/M23 withdrawals, after which Congolese troops and Wazalendo militias quickly re-entered the areas. The coalition claims many civilians fled during those developments, while international actors, including the United States, remained largely silent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AFC\/M23 has also argued that since the return of Congolese forces, Wazalendo militias, Burundian troops and FDLR elements to Uvira, security conditions in the city have deteriorated, with civilians facing increasing insecurity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On May 10, as AFC\/M23 fighters withdrew from areas including Sange, Lubirizi and Kabunambo, some residents reportedly followed them out of fear of possible reprisals from opposing forces. Shortly afterward, Congolese troops and Wazalendo fighters moved in and took control of the vacated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Radio Maendeleo, large numbers of AFC\/M23 fighters were seen on the morning of May 11 in Luvungi Centre, occupying roads and sports grounds in the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Civilian movement between Uvira and Bukavu along the RN5 highway has meanwhile been disrupted due to the movement of AFC\/M23 fighters and ongoing clashes near the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prospects for the deployment of neutral forces remain uncertain. Current discussions are reportedly focusing instead on the possible deployment of ceasefire monitors from the Expanded Joint Verification Mechanism Plus (EJVM+), who are expected to work alongside United Nations peacekeepers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The agreement launching EJVM+ operations was signed in Montreux, Switzerland, in April 2026 during peace talks between the Congolese government and AFC\/M23.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, fighting has continued in eastern DR Congo, and no monitoring mechanism has yet publicly identified violations of the ceasefire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amid the ongoing tensions, AFC\/M23 coordinator Corneille Nangaa wrote to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on May 7, accusing Washington of siding with the Congolese government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nangaa argued that Kinshasa had failed to honor commitments made during negotiations, including the release of 317 AFC\/M23 detainees and the suspension of military offensives. He maintained that AFC\/M23 had respected its own commitments, including releasing government prisoners and withdrawing from parts of Uvira and Walikale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In December 2025, the United States and the Congolese government signed a minerals cooperation agreement. Nangaa alleged that Kinshasa was using the partnership as political cover while continuing what he described as a strategy of escalating the conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
On May 10, as AFC\/M23 fighters withdrew from areas including Sange, Lubirizi and Kabunambo, some residents reportedly followed them out of fear of possible reprisals from opposing forces. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The AFC\/M23 coalition fighting the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo once again withdrawn its fighters from parts of the Ruzizi Plain in Uvira Territory, South Kivu Province on May 6, 2026, with Congolese forces and Wazalendo militias moving into the vacated areas shortly afterward.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2000111600,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[151,99,69],"byline":[170],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-2000111599","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics-48","tag-editors-choice","tag-greatlakesnews","tag-homehighlights","byline-igihe"],"bylines":[{"id":170,"name":"IGIHE","slug":"igihe","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":8}],"contributors":[{"id":170,"name":"IGIHE","slug":"igihe","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":8}],"featured_image":{"id":2000111600,"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/uvi-df60f.jpg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":1000,"height":562,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/uvi-df60f.jpg","width":150,"height":84},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/uvi-df60f.jpg","width":300,"height":169},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/uvi-df60f.jpg","width":768,"height":432},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/uvi-df60f.jpg","width":1000,"height":562},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/uvi-df60f.jpg","width":1000,"height":562}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000111599","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2000111599"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000111599\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2000111602,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000111599\/revisions\/2000111602"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000111600"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2000111599"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2000111599"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2000111599"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=2000111599"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=2000111599"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}