The town of Uvira, in DR Congo’s South Kivu Province, continues to be a scene of serious human rights violations following the “sudden and unsecured withdrawal” on January 17 of the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC/M23) movement’s forces as required under an internationally facilitated peace process. ALSO READ: Integration of AFC/M23 into DR Congo army to be discussed in Doha – US official Jean-Paul Paluku Ngahangondi, the national coordinator of the human rights group Convention pour le Respect des Droits Humains (CRDH), has told The New Times that the withdrawal of AFC/M23 forces created a security vacuum, which was immediately exploited by the Maï-Maï militias known as “Wazalendo”, leading to widespread acts of violence and human rights violations. ALSO READ: Looting, displacement reported in Uvira hours after AFC/M23 withdraw As noted in a report compiled after an investigation conducted by CRDH and a few other Congolese human rights organizations, documented violations included extrajudicial executions – including of children, enforced disappearances of civilians, acts of torture, some of which were recorded on video, and systematic looting of public institutions and private residences. Ethno-community targeting, particularly against the Banyamulenge community, was also reported. On December 15, 2025, the AFC/M23 announced a unilateral withdrawal of its forces from Uvira, a move it referred to as a major confidence-building step aimed at advancing the Doha Peace Process and achieving a lasting solution to the conflict in eastern DR Congo. At the time, the rebels requested the mediators and other partners to ensure that Uvira is protected from violence, reprisals, and remilitarization but nothing was done. ALSO READ: Rwanda's defensive measures to remain 'until FDLR threat is gone' On Friday, January 23, five days after the Congolese army coalition returned to Uvira and the situation there got out of hand, Ngahangondi said that “up to now, the situation there is not good.” ‘Situation in Uvira getting worse’ He added: “The governor of the Kinshasa regime [Jean Jacques Purusi Sadiki] arrived in Uvira today and announced that they will continue the war up to places like Bukavu and Goma and wont stop until they have retaken all captured territories. ALSO READ: ‘M23 is doing very well, we have to give them time’ – DR Congo traditional chief “This means that the situation is only getting worse if you consider the fact that the Wazalendo and all their allies are only worsening matters now. The situation in Uvira is only getting worse.” Sadiki had fled to neighbouring Burundi when the rebels took the town late last year. ALSO READ: AFC/M23’s Bisimwa explains why rebels were forced to capture Uvira in lightning advance According to Ngahangondi, a jurist and human rights defender whose work with CRDH centers on protecting vulnerable populations and advocating for fundamental rights and justice, the crisis in Uvira territory is not limited to isolated acts of violence. The information gathered, he said, demonstrates a systematic and planned pattern, with precise targets, particularly civilians identified as belonging to certain Congolese ethnic communities or considered as allies of AFC/M23. ALSO READ: Nangaa rejects Tshisekedi's attempt at peace talks in Luanda He said the facts gathered indicate that the abuses committed against civilian populations in Uvira are “not merely a local episode of violence but rather a plan of ethnic cleansing that could be qualified as genocide.” On January 18, the consortium of human rights organizations: CRDH, Action pour les Droits Humains (APDH), Diaspora Plurielle Congolaise (DPC), Banyamulenge Gakondo and ISOKO Diaspora, released a statement saying that testimonies collected report targeted abuses, acts of intimidation, forced displacement, and violations of fundamental rights, particularly against men, women, and children who supported the continued presence of AFC/M23 in the city of Uvira, as well as other civilian populations targeted on the basis of their ethnic identity, notably the Banyamulenge and the Barundi. The statement adds: “The situation as of Sunday, 18 January 2026, indicates in particular that the so-called ‘Wazalendo’ Mai-Mai militias have taken control of the city of Uvira and engaged in targeted abuses against civilian populations, as well as systematic looting of both public and private property.” Wazalendo – Swahili for patriots – is a brutal coalition of Congolese militia and self-defence groups mobilized by President Félix Tshisekedi four years ago to fight alongside the Congolese military against the M23 rebel group. ALSO READ: What are the motivations of Burundi’s military intervention in South Kivu? Wazalendo teamed up with the Congolese army and FDLR, a Kinshasa-backed terrorist group formed in mid-2000 by remnants of the former government forces and militia that committed the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, and other forces in Kinshasa’s vast military coalition that also comprises the Burundian army. The militia was formed in mid-2000 in Lubumbashi, DR Congo’s second-largest city located in the country's southeast along the border with Zambia. ALSO READ: Banyamulenge group urges US Congress to condemn violence in Uvira The Banyamulenge diaspora has appealed to the United States to urgently intervene over escalating violence, displacement and human rights abuses in Uvira, South Kivu, following the withdrawal of the AFC/M23 movement. The human rights organizations recalled that, following the withdrawal of AFC/M23, Uvira was left under the responsibility of the UN mission in DR Congo (MONUSCO) with regard to security governance. They called upon the UN mission to fulfil its primary obligations, in particular by taking urgent and effective measures to ensure the protection of civilian populations and their property. They emphasised that any withdrawal or redeployment of armed forces “must be accompanied by appropriate measures in order to prevent anarchy and human rights violations.” Furthermore, the group expressed concerns about the “highly alarming situation of several members of the Banyamulenge and Barundi communities,” who fear becoming victims of targeted reprisals by these armed militias—reprisals that, “according to credible sources on the ground, are already underway.” “They are being forced to live in hiding and report a climate of widespread fear, as well as a high risk of targeted abuses and serious human rights violations. Several cases of extrajudicial executions, looting, identity-based violence, and violations of the physical integrity of civilians have been reported.” In light of this situation, the consortium of human rights organizations, among other things, urged the United States administration and MONUSCO to urgently strengthen the presence of security forces in Uvira. They also called for the opening of independent investigations into acts of looting and alleged violations, so that those responsible may be brought to justice.
