Uvira : M23 takes control of the city without resistance

SOS Médias Burundi

Uvira, December 10, 2025 – The city of Uvira, in South Kivu, fell to the M23 rebel movement on the night of December 9. The fighters entered the city without encountering any resistance, causing shock and concern among the local population.

A lightning-fast takeover

According to several witnesses, M23 columns simultaneously entered several strategic neighborhoods, including :

the Mulongwe commercial center,

the Kasenga neighborhood,

the Kavimvira area,

and the border post with Burundi.

This coordinated advance allowed the rebel group to secure control of the city in just a few hours.

A hasty withdrawal of loyalist forces

Shortly before the assault, almost all loyalist forces—the FARDC and Wazalendo fighters—had abandoned their positions.

Several retreat routes were observed :

towards Kalemie via the port of Kalundu,

towards Fizi,

and for some soldiers, towards Burundi, where they reportedly sought refuge.

This sudden withdrawal raises even more questions, given that the city, according to residents, hosted more than 80 Wazalendo generals, two senior FARDC officers, and two Burundian colonels.

Incomprehension among the population

In Uvira, residents are struggling to understand how a heavily militarized city could have been taken without a fight.

Some describe it as another instance of “abandonment,” recalling the previous withdrawals from Goma and Bukavu.

These accusations have not yet been confirmed.

A strategic city at the heart of regional trade

Uvira plays a major role in the region :

It is a key transit point between the DRC and Burundi.

It is an essential supply point for the residents of Bujumbura, who have been suffering from a fuel shortage for the past five years.

Many Burundian soldiers stationed in South Kivu rely on this route to return home.

Observers believe a scenario similar to that of Goma is possible, where a corridor was opened to allow foreign troops to withdraw after the city fell.

A conflict with regional repercussions

Reactivated in 2021, the M23 is now part of the Congo River Alliance (AFC), led by the former president of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI), Corneille Nangaa, who advocates for the establishment of a federal state in the DRC.
The movement now controls several provincial capitals in North and South Kivu, as well as significant mining areas.

Kinshasa has long accused Rwanda of supporting the rebel group—accusations Kigali rejects—while several UN reports indicate the presence of Rwandan soldiers alongside the M23.

Burundi, for its part, has deployed more than 10,000 soldiers since 2023 to support the FARDC and the local Wazalendo militias, self-defense groups backed by Kinshasa.