M23/AFC rebels are seen patrolling Uvira
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I The ceasefire and deescalation agreement between Rwanda and the DR Cong is on the verge of collapse, following renewed fighting which led to the seizure of the M23/AFC rebel outfit.
Uvira, a major port city hosting South Kivu’s provincial institutions fell to the rebels earlier in the week. This has drastically worsened the humanitarian situation.
Observers have said that more than 100 civilians have been killed, and thousands remain trapped as fighting spreads along the Ruzizi Plain.
The Governments of DRC and Rwanda have as a result traded sharp accusations over the collapse of the Washington Peace Accords and the rapidly worsening conflict in South Kivu.
Kinshasa warned that the fall of Uvira, which was seized at midnight by M23/AFC rebels, was a deliberate decision by President Paul Kagame to turn his back on peace barely one week after signing the Washington Accords.
According to Congo’s Ministry of Communication the attacks constitute a flagrant violation of the ceasefire and the commitments made under the Washington Peace Accords.
It also warned that the flareup would lead to a regional escalation, after the RDF artillery fire crossed into Burundi earlier in the week.
“Rwanda launched a coordinated military offensive through the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) and its M23/AFC allies on the Kamanyola–Uvira axis,” reads part of a recently released statement.
It added that there has been wide spread use of kamikaze drones, which have caused civilian deaths and large-scale displacement and destruction of infrastructure in the area.
Western have also weighed in and urged Rwanda to withdraw its forces from eastern Congo.
The International Contact Group for the Great Lakes, which brings together governments of the U.S., UK, EU, Germany, France and others warned of an escalation.
They pointed out that the Rwanda-backed M23 operations near Uvira would potentially destabilise the entire region.
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