Congo War Security Review

Data Cutoff: December 15, 2025, at 1 P.M. EST

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Read CTP’s breakdown of the fall of Uvira in What M23's Capture of Uvira Means for the DRC, Wider Region, and Peace Talks: Africa File Special Edition.

Read CTP’s latest analysis on the war in the eastern DRC in the weekly Africa File here.    

Key Takeaway: M23 advanced south from Uvira town into Fizi district in South Kivu. The Congolese army (FARDC) reportedly bombed M23-aligned positions in the highlands near Minembwe town in Fizi district. The FARDC bombed an M23 position near Nyabiondo town in Masisi district in North Kivu. M23 attacked Wazalendo fighters in southern Masisi district.

Kinetic Activity in M23-Controlled Areas    

Pro-Congolese government Wazalendo fighters attacked M23 in Rutshuru district in North Kivu. The Congolese media outlet Kivu Morning Post reported that Wazalendo fighters attacked M23 in Musha village in the Bukombo group in Bwito chiefdom in Rutshuru on December 15.[i] Musha is about 20 miles northeast of Kitchanga on the RP1030 in the adjacent Masisi district via local roads. M23 had previously attacked Wazalendo fighters in at least five villages in Bukombo on December 12.[ii]

Northern Axis: Lubero-Butembo-Beni-Bunia  

Nothing significant to report.  

Southern Axis: Bukavu-Uvira-Baraka-Kalemie

M23 advanced south from Uvira town into Fizi district in South Kivu. M23 reportedly advanced about nine miles south of the Kalundu port in Uvira town on the RN5 and clashed with Wazalendo fighters in Makobola village before capturing it and advancing another four miles to capture Kasekesi on December 14.[iii] The fall of Kasekesi marks M23’s first territorial capture in Fizi district. The Congolese army (FARDC) has reportedly sent a significant number of reinforcements and military equipment to Baraka town—about 40 miles south of Kasekesi—and established front line positions between Mboko and Munene village on the RN5 in recent days.[iv]

The FARDC reportedly bombed M23-aligned positions in the highlands near Minembwe town in Fizi district. The FARDC had bombed M23-aligned Twirwaneho positions in Mikenge and Bilalombili villages, the former about 15 miles north of Minembwe in Fizi, on December 12.[v] Pro-M23 sources claimed that the FARDC bombed two villages about 20 miles south of Minembwe, including Rugezi, on December 13.[vi] Twirwaneho fighters reportedly clashed with the FARDC in Rugezi and at least three other nearby villages in the Fizi highlands on December 13.[vii] Twirwaneho fighters reportedly captured Kipupu village, the capital of Itombwe sector about 30 miles north of Minembwe on the RP527 in the Mwenga highlands, on December 13, after FARDC and Burundian troops had withdrawn when M23 captured Uvira town on December 10.[viii] Pro-M23 sources claimed that the FARDC bombed Bilalombili on December 14.[ix] The FARDC then reportedly bombed Rugezi and Bilalombili and Mikenge villages again on December 15.[x] Pro-M23 sources claimed that the FARDC air assets used in the strikes came from Burundi.[xi]

Northwest Axis: Masisi-Walikale-Lubutu-Kisangani  

The FARDC bombed an M23 position near Nyabiondo town in Masisi district in North Kivu. An FARDC attack drone reportedly targeted and destroyed an M23 military camp in Burora village, about six miles south of Nyabiondo on the RP529, in an airstrike on December 14.[xii] M23 had established the military camp last week.[xiii] The strike on Burora marks the sixth reported FARDC airstrike on M23 in Masisi since December 2.[xiv]

M23 attacked Wazalendo fighters in southern Masisi district. The Congolese media outlet Radio Okapi reported that M23 attacked Wazalendo positions in two villages in the Katoyi sector on December 13.[xv] CTP is unable to verify the precise location of the two villages. The Katoyi sector is in southern Masisi, bordering Walikale district in North Kivu to the west and South Kivu province to the south. Radio Okapi reported that some civilians fled toward Walikale due to the fighting.[xvi]

Southwest Axis: Bukavu-Kamituga-Shabunda-Kindu  

Nothing significant to report.  

Major Political Developments  

Nothing significant to report.

Data Cutoff: December 12, 2025, at 1 P.M. EST

To receive the Africa File and Congo War Security Review via email, please subscribe here.  

Follow CTP on X, LinkedIn, and BlueSky for daily updates.  

Read CTP’s breakdown of the fall of Uvira in What M23's Capture of Uvira Means for the DRC, Wider Region, and Peace Talks: Africa File Special Edition.

Read CTP’s latest analysis on the war in the eastern DRC in the weekly Africa File here.    

Key Takeaway: The United States condemned Rwanda for its recent military actions in the eastern DRC. Burundi and M23 are reportedly negotiating the withdrawal of Burundian army troops from South Kivu. Pro-Congolese government Wazalendo fighters conducted attacks on M23 along the RP1030 in Masisi district in North Kivu. M23 attacked Wazalendo fighters in Rutshuru district in North Kivu.

Kinetic Activity in M23-Controlled Areas    

M23 attacked pro-Congolese government Wazalendo fighters in Rutshuru district in North Kivu. The Congolese media outlet Kivu Morning Post reported that M23 attacked Wazalendo fighters using light and heavy weaponry in at least five villages, including Kyahemba, in Bukombo group in the Bwito chiefdom in Rutshuru on December 12.[i] Kyahemba is about nine miles northwest of Kitchanga town on the RP1030 in Masisi district.

Northern Axis: Lubero-Butembo-Beni-Bunia  

Nothing significant to report.  

Southern Axis: Bukavu-Uvira-Baraka-Kalemie

Burundi and M23 are reportedly negotiating the withdrawal of Burundian army (FDNB) troops from South Kivu. M23 conducted a large-scale offensive with significant Rwandan army support and claimed control of Uvira town on December 10.[ii] M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka said that the group will repatriate FDNB troops “in full compliance with international human rights standards” in a statement on December 10.[iii] M23 began facilitating the return of FDNB troops who were deployed on the frontlines on the Ruzizi Plain and the middle plateaus to Burundi via the M23-controlled Gatumba border post in Uvira town on December 10.[iv] Burundian media reported on December 11 that a high-ranking Burundian delegation recently visited M23-controlled Luvungi on the RN5 to request the repatriation of captured FDNB soldiers and negotiate a secure humanitarian corridor for its troops who remain deployed in the highlands to return to the Burundian border.[v] Burundian media cited insider sources who said that M23 demanded the FDNB’s complete withdrawal and cessation of military operations in the DRC as a precondition to opening a humanitarian corridor.[vi] The Burundian ambassador to the DRC denied reports of such a corridor on December 11.[vii] The French news agency Agence France-Presse reported on December 11 that some 2,500 FDNB troops are “trapped” in the South Kivu highlands and the Ruzizi Plain.[viii] Scattered FDNB units in the Uvira and Fizi highlands are reportedly trying to regroup and move toward the Lake Tanganyika shoreline in Fizi district to return to southwestern Burundi via boat.[ix] A pro-M23 investigative outlet claimed that Burundi has already sent transport vessels and secured the return of hundreds of troops from the highlands since December 10.[x] The Congolese army bombed M23-aligned militia positions in several villages in the Mwenga highlands, including Mikenge and Bilalombili—the former about 15 miles north of Minembwe town in Fizi—on December 12, reportedly to clear a path for FDNB troops to reach Baraka on the RN5 for extraction.[xi] Some FDNB units who were deployed on the frontlines in Shabunda district are reportedly also awaiting extraction.[xii]

Northwest Axis: Masisi-Walikale-Lubutu-Kisangani  

Wazalendo fighters conducted several attacks on M23 along the RP1030 in Masisi district in North Kivu. The Congolese media outlet Actualite.cd reported that Wazalendos attacked M23 positions in Bitongi village on the RP1030 on December 10.[xiii] Bitongi is roughly three miles northwest of Kalembe on the RP1030 in Masisi.[xiv] Actualite.cd reported separately that Wazalendo fighters then attacked M23 in Malembo and Minjenje villages, about three and six miles further northwest of Bitongi on the RP1030, on December 12.[xv] Wazalendo fighters have frequently attacked M23 along the 11-mile stretch of the RP1030 in between Kalembe and Mpeti village—M23’s stronghold in this part of North Kivu.

Southwest Axis: Bukavu-Kamituga-Shabunda-Kindu  

Nothing significant to report.  

Major Political Developments  

The United States condemned Rwanda for its recent military actions in the eastern DRC. Mike Waltz, US Representative to the UN, said that the United States was “deeply concerned” about the Rwandan army’s (RDF’s) continued support for M23 in a statement at the UN Security Council on December 12.[xvi] Waltz said that the RDF had at least 5,000 to 7,000 troops deployed in the eastern DRC as of early December.[xvii] Waltz said that the RDF directly participated in the Uvira offensive and increasingly used artillery and suicide drones in combat alongside M23.[xviii] Waltz said that Rwanda had deployed advanced military equipment and “heavy and sophisticated weaponry” to North and South Kivu, including surface-to-air missiles and signal jammers, in support of M23 in recent months.[xix] Waltz called on Rwanda to uphold its commitments to the Washington Accords.[xx]

Data Cutoff: December 10, 2025, at 1 P.M. EST  

To receive the Africa File and Congo War Security Review via email, please subscribe here.  

Follow CTP on X, LinkedIn, and BlueSky for daily updates.  

Read CTP’s latest analysis on the war in the eastern DRC in the weekly Africa File here.    

Key Takeaway: M23 captured Uvira town in South Kivu. The United States urged M23 and Rwanda to halt their offensive in South Kivu. M23 clashed with pro-Congolese government Wazalendo fighters north of the RP1030 in Walikale district in North Kivu. M23 repelled a Wazalendo attack in southern Lubero district in North Kivu.

Kinetic Activity in M23-Controlled Areas    

Nothing significant to report.  

Northern Axis: Lubero-Butembo-Beni-Bunia  

M23 repelled a pro-Congolese government Wazalendo fighter attack in southern Lubero district in North Kivu. Independent Congolese journalist Fred Mastaki reported on social media that M23 repelled the attack in Bingi village in the Batangi chiefdom in southern Lubero on December 7.[i] Bingi is about 10 miles west of Alimbongo on the RN2 and 20 miles north of Kirumba town.

Southern Axis: Bukavu-Uvira-Baraka-Kalemie

M23 captured Uvira town in South Kivu. M23 had advanced to Sange town, about 25 miles north of Uvira on the RN5, and clashed with pro-Congolese government forces before it claimed control of the town on December 8.[ii] M23 reportedly clashed with pro-Congolese government forces again in Sange and then advanced about eight and 12 miles south to Runingu and Kiliba villages, respectively, to within eight miles of Uvira town on December 9.[iii] Independent Congolese journalist Héritier Munyampfura observed a “significant movement” of Burundian army (FDNB) troops and civilians fleeing south from Runingu on December 9.[iv] M23 reportedly captured Kiliba after heavy bombing caused pro-Congolese government elements to desert the area on December 9.[v] M23 forces advanced the remaining distance to the outskirts of Uvira and split off into at least four contingents to secure key parts of the city, including the border with Burundi, on December 9.[vi] Burundi closed its border posts with the DRC at Gatumba and Vugizo and declared each post a “military zone” on December 9.[vii] Thousands of FDNB and Congolese army (FARDC) soldiers—and even local Wazalendo generals—fled Uvira on several axes on December 9.[viii] Some Wazalendo fighters reportedly clashed with FDNB-FARDC units who they accused of abandoning their positions.[ix] M23 units entered the northern part of Uvira in the Kanvinvira neighborhood as early as December 9 and took control of the governor’s building in Kiromoni on the RN30 near the Burundian border on December 10.[x] The group conducted a clearing operation and shelled remaining Wazalendo positions but reportedly took control of the city center without intense urban combat.[xi] M23 claimed that it took control of the Kalundu port on the south side of city on December 10.[xii] The group officially claimed control of Uvira town on December 10.[xiii]

Northwest Axis: Masisi-Walikale-Lubutu-Kisangani  

Wazalendo fighters attacked M23 near the RP529 in Masisi district in North Kivu. The Congolese media outlet Actualite.cd reported that Wazalendo fighters attacked M23 in Kasopo village on December 9.[xiv] Kasopo is about seven miles west of Nyabiondo on the RP529.

M23 clashed with Wazalendo fighters north of the RP1030 in Walikale district in North Kivu. Actualite.cd reported that M23 clashed with Wazalendo fighters in Ihula village in the Kisimba group on December 8.[xv] Ihula is about six miles northeast of Kalembe village on the RP1030 in Masisi district on local roads. Wazalendo had fighters attacked M23 in Ihula on December 7.[xvi]

Southwest Axis: Bukavu-Kamituga-Shabunda-Kindu  

Nothing significant to report.  

Major Political Developments  

The United States urged M23 and Rwanda to halt their offensive in South Kivu. The International Contact Group for the Great Lakes (ICG), composed of the United States, the European Union, and nine European countries, called on M23 and the Rwandan army to “immediately halt offensive operations” in South Kivu in a joint statement on December 9.[xvii] The ICG said that it was concerned about the increased use of attack and suicide drones in the conflict.[xviii] The US House Foreign Affairs Committee Majority condemned Rwanda and called on Rwanda to adhere to the Washington Accords on social media on December 10.[xix]