In the city of Uvira in South Kivu, after it was captured by AFC/M23 and new security structures were established, residents say their daily lives are undergoing noticeable changes.
Colonel Willy Ngoma received an unusually warm welcome from the population, at a time when FARDC fighters, Burundian troops, and Wazalendo militias had retreated after being defeated in battles that have been raging in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
Residents from various parts of Uvira report that they have already seen improvements in security and that trade routes have reopened.
In the Sarambwe hills, AFC/M23 continues to be praised by locals for its role in protecting Tutsi and Banyamulenge communities, who have long faced killings and persecution by DRC government forces.
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Reliable information from Radio Okapi, both from the Uvira and Bujumbura sides, confirms that on the evening of December 10, 2025, long lines of Burundian soldiers were seen crossing the Kavimvira border back into Burundi.
These soldiers were withdrawing from fighting in the Ruzizi Valley and the hills of Lemera, Sange, Luvungi, Katogota, and other areas where they had been battling AFC/M23 alongside FARDC, Wazalendo, and FDLR.
Since December 9, the Kavimvira border crossing had been under the control of AFC/M23, which facilitated the safe return of the Burundian troops to their country.
Witnesses told Radio Okapi that the Burundian forces returned with all their equipment and personal phones, even though Burundi’s ambassador to the DRC continued to deny that Burundian troops had withdrawn.
Burundi had deployed more than 20,000 soldiers in South Kivu, but the failed offensive to capture Uvira drastically changed the trajectory of this deployment. Many Burundian soldiers were killed in the fighting, while others fled into the surrounding hills or toward areas near the Burundi border.
In recent months, the Burundian army had entered eastern Congo to support FARDC in operations across North and South Kivu. However, these forces suffered defeats in several areas where they clashed with AFC/M23.
After suffering setbacks in Masisi and around Goma, Burundian forces tried to regroup in South Kivu, but battles in the Ruzizi Valley and the Uvira highlands inflicted heavy losses on them.
Burundi has now closed its borders with the DRC on the South Kivu side as a security measure, to prevent AFC/M23 or other armed groups from entering its territory or triggering further security issues.
During negotiations held in Luvungi between senior Burundian military officials and AFC/M23 commanders, the movement’s spokesperson, Lawrence Kanyuka, said that AFC/M23 is prepared to hand over Burundian soldiers captured during the fighting.
He stated: “We assure that these Burundian combatants will be treated safely and handed over to their country’s authorities with full respect for human rights.”
AFC/M23 maintains that before it releases the captured soldiers, Burundi must halt all military operations in the DRC and withdraw all of its troops from Congolese territory.
Meanwhile, life in Uvira is slowly returning to normal. Markets have reopened, businesses are resuming, and residents say they feel safer after many years of living under the threat of armed conflict.
Despite rumors and international pressure surrounding events in eastern Congo, Uvira residents say they now have hope that the ongoing security efforts could become a foundation for resolving the broader conflict in the DRC.
Residents add that although the journey ahead is long, they are beginning to see an example of a place where a new era of peace in Congo could emerge.
