M23 rebel group says it has captured hundreds of Burundian soldiers during its latest offensive in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, allegations Reuters could not independently verify.
Last week M23 entered the strategic town of Uvira near the border with Burundi, less than a week after the presidents of DR Congo and Rwanda met in Washington with US President Donald Trump and affirmed their commitment to a peace deal known as the Washington Accords.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Saturday that Rwanda’s actions in eastern DR Congo violated the Washington Accords and vowed to “take action to ensure promises made to the president are kept.”
Though Rwanda faces repeated accusations of supporting M23, it denies and has blamed Congolese and Burundian forces for the renewed fighting.
Burundi president warns of consequences if M23 attacks its forces
M23 said the “captured Burundian soldiers” will be escorted “home.”
Though there was no immediate response on Monday from Burundi, which has had troops in eastern DR Congo for years, Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye is on the record warning M23 against starting a war with his country.
M23 rebel group staged a lightning offensive in January, quickly seizing eastern DR Congo’s two biggest cities in fighting that has killed thousands of people while displacing hundreds of thousands more.
DR Congo is rich in minerals, supplying about 70% of the world’s cobalt as well as significant volumes of tin, tantalum and tungsten.
A local official appointed by the government in Kinshasa told Reuters on Monday that DR Congo’s military and allied forces had withdrawn from Makobola, 12 kilometres south of Uvira, and were reorganising to try to take back lost territory. A source within M23 told Reuters that the rebels were in Makobola.
