A street in Uvira, Democratic Republic of Congo, December 9, 2025. - / AFP
Residents of Uvira, in South Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), barely had time to celebrate the lavish signing, in Washington on December 4, of a peace agreement that directly affected them. Concluded between Rwandan President Paul Kagame and Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi, the "historic" accord was supposed to end "one of the worst conflicts on earth," boasted US President Donald Trump, who brokered the deal.
Five days later, Uvira, a city of 700,000 residents, was on the verge of falling to the Congo River Alliance/March 23 Movement (AFC-M23), a coalition directed by the Rwandan army, according to the latest United Nations expert reports on the DRC. Rebel fighters have entered the city.
Goma, the regional capital of North Kivu, fell on January 29. Bukavu, its counterpart in South Kivu, followed. The capture further south of Uvira, which had served as the de facto capital, marks the most significant AFC-M23 conquest since March. The expansion of rebel-controlled territory southward has reignited fears that the conflict could spill over into neighboring Burundi.
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