The Rwanda-backed AFC/M23 group has withdrawn its forces from several key positions in South Kivu province in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. This was reported by Reuters, according to UNN.
Details
According to the Congolese army, the retreat was the result of both military pressure from government forces and diplomatic influence from the United States. The rebels left the Kabunambo area and withdrew to Luvungi near the provincial capital, Bukavu.
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This marked the first significant shift on the front lines in recent months. Previously, the group briefly captured the city of Uvira but was forced to retreat following international pressure.
US increases pressure on the group
The withdrawal occurred two weeks after the US imposed sanctions on former Congolese President Joseph Kabila over alleged links to AFC/M23. Kabila himself denies these allegations.
Amid the changes on the front, some Congolese families who had previously fled to Burundi have already begun returning home, according to local civil society representatives.
At the same time, fighting in eastern Congo continues. Corneille Nangaa, the political coordinator of AFC/M23, in a letter to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, accused Washington of losing its neutrality as a mediator after entering into a partnership agreement with the Congolese authorities. Rwanda continues to deny allegations by the UN and Western countries of supporting the rebels.
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