DR Congo : M23 To Withdraw From Uvira

In order to support the ongoing peace process and give the Doha peace process the maximum chance to succeed in delivering a lasting solution to the conflict, the March 23 Movement (M23) rebel group on December 15, 2025 announced the unilateral withdraw of its forces from the strategic town of Uvira, East of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Announcing the decision described as “a confidence-building measure”, Corneille Nangaa, political leader of the Congo River Alliance (AFC), a politico-military coalition allied with the M23, said, the decision followed recent progress under the Doha peace process, including the signing of the Doha Framework Peace Agreement in November in 2025. Prior to their declaration, rebels had attached several conditions to the withdrawal: Uvira must be demilitarised, the population must be protected and a neutral force must monitor the ceasefire. 
Since March this year, several rounds of negotiations between the M23 and the Congolese government have been held under Qatari mediation, known as the Doha peace process. This led to the signing of a Declaration of Principles in July, which set a target date of August 18, 2025 for concluding a peace agreement, a deadline that has since passed.
It should be recalled that on December 4, 2025, the Presidents of Congo and Rwanda, Felix Tshis...