Rwanda-Backed M23 Offensive Escalates: Over 400 Civilians Killed in South Kivu, DRC, Amid Renewed Rebel Violence
London-UK, December 13, 2025
Peace Deal Undermined by Slaughter
The long-suffering eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has plunged back into a state of mass violence, with regional officials confirming that more than 400 Civilians Killed have died as the Rwanda-Backed M23 Offensive Escalates across the vital South Kivu province.
This humanitarian catastrophe, which has unfolded in the last ten days, exposes the fragility of a recent US-mediated peace agreement between the DRC and Rwanda and confirms the UN’s persistent warnings of a looming regional conflagration.
Despite a ceasefire agreement and a Washington-brokered accord aimed at de-escalation, the renewed campaign of Rebel Violence by the M23 group—accused by the DRC and UN experts of receiving direct support from the Rwandan military—has resulted in widespread atrocities and forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee.
The provincial government of South Kivu issued a desperate statement confirming the gruesome toll:
“More than 413 civilians (have been) killed by bullets, grenades, and bombs, including many women, children, and young people” in localities between the strategic port city of Uvira and the regional capital, Bukavu.
The statement also pointedly accused Rwandan Special Forces and “foreign mercenaries” of operating alongside the M23, an allegation that Kigali vehemently denies but which has driven the DRC to the brink of officially breaking diplomatic ties.
The M23’s rapid advance, which included seizing the strategically important city of Uvira on the northern tip of Lake Tanganyika, has directly undermined all regional and international peace efforts.
Headlines Points
Mass Civilian Slaughter:
Regional officials confirm that more than 413 civilians—including women and children—have been killed in the M23’s recent campaign of Renewed Rebel Violence in South Kivu.
Violation of Peace Deal:
The offensive directly violates both the earlier Doha Framework Agreement and the recent US-mediated Washington Accords signed by the presidents of the DRC and Rwanda.
Strategic City Captured:
The Rwanda-Backed M23 rebels successfully seized the strategic port city of Uvira, giving them crucial control over a major transit hub on Lake Tanganyika.
Rwandan Forces Accused:
The South Kivu government has openly accused Rwandan Special Forces of fighting alongside the M23 rebels in the region, escalating the conflict’s international dimension.
Mass Displacement:
The fighting has displaced an estimated 200,000 people in South Kivu since the beginning of December, compounding one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises.
The Destruction of the Peace Accord
The timing of this devastating offensive could not be more critical. It began immediately following a U.S.-mediated peace agreement signed in Washington between the DRC and Rwanda, an accord intended to resolve the long-standing tensions over rebel group support.
While the M23 itself was not a signatory, the agreement explicitly obliged Rwanda to halt support for armed groups and work to end hostilities. The immediate escalation, marked by the rapid capture of Uvira, suggests a clear and deliberate intent to sabotage the diplomatic process.
Uvira is of crucial significance as a trading hub and border crossing with Burundi, offering the rebels a vital logistical and financial node.
The fighting has been concentrated across several territories, including Kamanyola, Luvungi, Katogota, and Uvira, driving a massive humanitarian emergency.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that over 200,000 people have been displaced across South Kivu since the beginning of December, fleeing indiscriminate attacks using bullets, grenades, and bombs.
These newly displaced people are joining the already staggering figure of over 7 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the eastern DRC, straining already meagre resources in overcrowded displacement sites.
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has been forced to suspend operations in the area, cutting off essential food aid to tens of thousands of vulnerable people.
International Calls and Regional Conflagration
The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, expressed deep alarm over the latest escalation, strongly condemning the offensive and calling for the “immediate and unconditional cessation of hostilities.”
The UN and the Security Council have repeatedly asserted that the M23—a group largely composed of ethnic Tutsi fighters—is backed by Rwanda, a charge Kigali continues to deny.
However, the presence of foreign fighters, as alleged by the South Kivu government, raises the risk of the conflict turning into a broader regional war involving not only the DRC and Rwanda, but also neighbouring Burundi, whose forces have been actively fighting alongside the Congolese army (FARDC) against the M23.
The renewed focus on South Kivu, historically a hotspot for mineral extraction and inter-ethnic conflict, underscores the immense challenge facing international peacekeepers (MONUSCO) and regional mediators.
The failure of the Washington Accord to halt the violence proves that until the core issues of sovereignty, resource exploitation, and external support for armed groups are addressed directly, the cycle of violence and mass civilian slaughter will continue to destabilize the entire Great Lakes region.
The immediate priority, as emphasized by the UN, must be to secure humanitarian access to the hundreds of thousands fleeing the latest M23 offensive before the humanitarian crisis spirals into an even greater catastrophe.
