By James Tasamba
KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) - The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) is set deploy forces in the border city of Uvira in South Kivu Province to monitor a ceasefire between the government and the AFC/M23 rebels, according to a UN official.
UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix made the announcement following a meeting with Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi.
The discussions focused on the UN mission’s role in operationalizing the ceasefire monitoring and verification mechanism under the Washington Peace Agreement and the Doha process, in line with UN Security Council resolutions 2773 and 2808, MONUSCO said Wednesday in a post on US social media platform X.
The resolutions entrust MONUSCO with a support role in the stabilization of areas affected by armed conflicts in Congo.
The Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC/M23), a rebel alliance in eastern Congo, which includes the M23 rebels, seized the strategic border city of Uvira in December, before withdrawing days later, as demanded by the US.
Lacroix told reporters in Kinshasa on Tuesday that the mission would be ready to start deployment to the Uvira area, where the M23 withdrew after risks such as drones in the immediate vicinity of their helicopters were addressed by all actors.
“As soon as the security guarantees for our flights are met, MONUSCO will deploy all the necessary elements in conjunction with the verification mechanism that involves other international partners,” he said.
The Congo president’s office said, after the meeting, that the respect and implementation of the ceasefire are prerequisites for lasting peace and for strengthening the presence of the state in the conflict region.
MONUSCO pulled out its troops from South Kivu province as part of a phased withdrawal in 2024.
The fighting in eastern Congo intensified last December, against a backdrop of a peace agreement signed by Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame, was intended to put an end to the fighting.
The Congolese government attributed the violence in Uvira to a “widespread offensive launched by the Rwandan Defense Forces.” But Rwanda accused Congolese and Burundian armies of violating the ceasefire.
M23 has been at the center of the conflict in eastern Congo. The rebel group supported by neighboring Rwanda, according to the UN and Western nations, controls significant territory in eastern Congo, including the provincial capitals of Goma and Bukavu seized early in 2025.