Kinshasa — "US pressure has forced the M23 to withdraw from Uvira," local sources in the second largest city in South Kivu, which has been contested in recent weeks between Congolese armed forces and pro-Rwandan rebels, told Fides (see Fides, 29/12/2025).
"Throughout the week, M23 fighters are expected to withdraw from Sange (one of the municipalities in the Uvira Territory), the last village still under their control, and move towards Kamanyola, where the rebels have been present for at least six months," Fides sources report.
US pressure to achieve the M23's withdrawal from Uvira was not limited to the political and diplomatic sphere, but also based on concrete actions on the ground. "There are around twenty US officers supporting the Congolese army. Half are reportedly mercenaries from a private military company, and the rest are US military personnel who allegedly planned the government offensive and identified the targets to be attacked with drones if the M23 did not withdraw," Fides sources indicate. According to the French publication Africa Intelligence, the US private military company Vectus Global reached an agreement with the Kinshasa government in January of this year to support operations aimed at regaining control of Uvira. According to the same source, several Vectus Global members are on the front lines alongside Congolese soldiers, providing intelligence and artillery support.
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To guarantee the city's security, the arrival of UN peacekeepers from the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) is expected. According to our sources, "MONUSCO is deploying a contingent in Uvira, while hundreds of government military personnel continue to arrive in the city." In response to the government offensive in South Kivu, the M23 has claimed responsibility for an attack on Bangoka Airport in Kisangani, the capital of Tshopo Province in the northeast. Rebel leader Corneille Nangaa described the attack as a warning to the Kinshasa government and a sign that the army can no longer consider the airport a safe logistical base. Authorities in Tshopo Province reported that eight drones laden with explosives attacked Bangoka International Airport between January 31 and February 1. According to officials, all the devices were shot down before reaching their target, and no casualties were reported. The airport is located about 17 kilometers from the center of Kisangani and approximately 700 kilometers from the main front lines in North and South Kivu.
