Congo War Security Review, December 12, 2025

Data Cutoff: December 12, 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: 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]