More than 500 Burundian civilians stranded in the DRC returned home after the M23 militia seized the border town of Uvira in early December. The capture followed a US-brokered peace agreement and has heightened fears of a wider regional conflict and potential fragmentation of the DRC, UN officials say. The offensive has displaced over 200,000 people and left National Route 5 littered with destroyed military vehicles, abandoned arms and looted homes. Fighting continues nearby, and the M23 now threatens additional towns in the region.
More Than 500 Burundian Civilians Return After M23 Seizes Uvira, Sparking Regional Alarm
Displaced Burundians gathered at the Kavimvira border post in DR Congo (Jospin Mwisha)(Jospin Mwisha/AFP/AFP)
With rifles propped at their feet, Burundian soldiers watched from behind makeshift barriers as more than 500 Burundian civilians crossed back into Burundi at the Kavimvira border. The group had been stranded in the Democratic Republic of Congo after renewed fighting when the M23 militia launched an offensive in early December.
Days after signing a US-brokered peace agreement in Washington, the M23 captured the eastern DRC town of Uvira, seizing control of the land crossing with Burundi and cutting Kinshasa off from military support across the border. During an M23-organised visit to the reopened checkpoint, the movement's spokesman, Lawrence Kanyuka, sought to demonstrate to journalists that Burundians could now return safely.
Two long single-file lines extended from the checkpoint into the distance: one for men and one for women. "We pleaded with the M23 to understand our suffering and help us cross the border," said Heshimwe Bismas, one of the nationals waiting to return.
International Fears Grow
UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix warned that the M23's latest advance "has revived the spectre of a regional conflagration" in Africa's Great Lakes region and raised the risk of the Democratic Republic of Congo becoming fragmented. The seizure of Uvira has fuelled concerns that localized fighting could draw in neighbouring countries and widen the conflict.
Looted Homes and Displacement
Since taking up arms again in 2021, the M23 has captured large swathes of territory, triggering a worsening humanitarian crisis. According to the United Nations, more than 200,000 people — mostly civilians — have been displaced by the renewed fighting.
The M23's December offensive has left visible damage along National Route 5, which links Kamanyola and Uvira. Burnt-out Congolese army trucks, abandoned weapons and ammunition, deserted villages and ransacked homes now line a road that is normally busy but is almost empty of traffic.
On Saturday, a small group of displaced people walked along the roadside across the bare Ruzizi plain, mountains rising in the distance. Among them, Samuel Masikitiko struggled to push an overloaded bicycle piled with sacks of flour, solar panels and empty jerrycans, his son sitting on top. With the immediate fighting eased in parts, Masikitiko said he decided to try to return home.
"Last Tuesday, the fighting was intense and we fled towards Sange," he said, referring to a settlement near Uvira. "After two days, the fighting reached Sange and we fled again towards Kigube on the Burundian border." Nearby, Yona Were said he was still searching for three sisters separated during the chaos. "I don't know if they are dead or alive," he said. Safi Mapendo, a displaced woman from Luvungi, said she felt compelled to return home to avoid "dying of hunger."
Searches, Withdrawals and Ongoing Fighting
On Uvira's outskirts, the normally busy stalls and shops of Kavimvira were largely closed. Residents hurried home before nightfall as M23 fighters searched houses for Congolese or Burundian soldiers, allied militia members and hidden arms. Burundi had deployed roughly 18,000 troops in support of Congolese forces against the M23, but most of that contingent has now crossed back into Burundi.
"The situation is not yet back to normal. We walk to do our shopping. Taxis are scarce," said one resident who asked not to be named. "Even finding a shop to buy water is a headache." Some people gathered in Uvira's cathedral to attend Mass and pray for peace.
Although a fragile calm has returned to parts of Uvira, heavy fighting continues roughly 15 kilometres (nine miles) to the south in Makobola. Despite Washington's protests, the M23 has continued its advance and now threatens the towns of Baraka and Fizi, where Congolese and Burundian forces have fallen back.
Humanitarian agencies warn that thousands more could be displaced if the offensive continues. The situation remains fluid, with regional diplomatic and humanitarian responses likely to shape the next phase of the crisis.
