The Congolese army says it has retaken control of South Kivu city of Uvira after the withdrawal of Rwanda-backed M23 rebels.
M23 seized Uvira in early December but said on Thursday it was placing the city under the responsibility of the international community.
Residents cheered the arriving fighters as sporadic gunfire echoed through the city.
Their arrival was marred by looting of shops and homes, according to several local sources.
The rebels had announced their withdrawal last month supposedly in response to a US request but residents said that M23 police and military personnel remained in the strategic city.
On Sunday, pro-Kinshasa Wazalendo forces entered southern districts of Uvira, followed later in the day by Congolese special forces, government sources said.
They announced the city’s full recapture on Monday.
South Kivu officials say M23 fighters have positioned themselves in the hills above Uvira “to point their weapons at the city”, according to a message circulated to the media.
M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka said the group has taken a “difficult decision” to pull out its forces, adding that Uvira would be placed “under the full and entire responsibility of the United Nations and the international community.”
He said the withdrawal was intended to give ongoing regional peace efforts a chance to succeed, though he did not specify how many fighters were involved.
In December 2025, the group said it had begun withdrawing from Uvira, a key city in South Kivu Province that it had previously captured, describing the move as a goodwill gesture to support peace efforts.
The Congolese government, however, has consistently rejected those claims. Speaking on Saturday evening, government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya dismissed the announcement as “meaningless,” calling it a “disinformation tactic.”
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