Hours after the AFC/M23 withdrawal, reports of looting and displacement were made in Uvira
Following the AFC/M23 movement’s withdrawal, there were reports of looting, violence, and population displacement in Uvira city in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Unsettling photos and videos of these events went viral on social media.
On Sunday, January 18, videos circulated on social media depicted frightened citizens dispersing throughout the city center as gunfire continued. In one video, a man who is shooting can be heard yelling, “These are Wazalendo, they have entered,” as locals, who are said to be Banyamulenge, run off in various directions in pursuit of safety.
Other images depict groups of young males in civilian clothes breaking into buildings and stealing stuff; the residents have identified these men as Wazalendo militia members. The 37° CADC Church, Musée des Assemblées de Dieu au Congo, a Banyamulenge house of worship in Kimanga, is one of the targeted locations. Parts of the roof were being disassembled, and chairs, wood, iron sheets, and other materials were being seized.
Budederi Bigabo, one of the pastors of the church, was reportedly kidnapped from his home together with his spouse just hours after the pillage. Their location is still a mystery.
Along with Burundian troops, the Congolese-backed Rwandan genocidal militia FDLR, mercenaries, Mai Mai groups, and other regional militias, the Wazalendo militia is affiliated with the Congolese armed forces (FARDC). They are coming back to Uvira a few days after AFC/M23 announced their withdrawal from the city on January 15. On December 10, the rebels took control of the city.
As part of a confidence-building effort to promote the Doha Peace Process and open the door to a long-term resolution to the war in eastern DR Congo, the AFC/M23 started to leave the city on December 17. The movement’s political coordinator, Corneille Nangaa, formally informed UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres of the final phase of the retreat and demanded the immediate deployment of a neutral force to stop retaliation against civilians.
The organization condemned “the madness of the Kinshasa regime, through its criminal militias Wazalendo, Mai Mai, and FDLR” for the catastrophic situation in Uvira in a statement that was put on X.
