M23 rebels say they will leave the Congolese town they attacked because of the U.S

Last week, violence in the eastern part of the Congo resurged, stemming from mutual accusations of violations of the existing peace agreement.

M23 rebels seized the small town of Uvira, marking the third province captured by the rebel group since the commencement of their offensive in January.

Uvira, on the banks of Lake Tanganyika, has functioned as both the regional military camp and the seat of the Kinshasa-appointed administration in South Kivu province since the M23 captured the Congolese town of Bukavu, the province’s capital, in February.

While this new offensive cast a dark cloud on the Washington Accords, a peace deal the United States managed to broker between the DRC and Rwanda, the rebel group on Tuesday noted that they are now willing to comply with the peace accords.

Corneille Nangaa, the leader of the Congo River Alliance of insurgents that includes M23, made this known on X.

He noted that the rebel group would withdraw from Uvira, despite not being a party to the Washington Accords, a disassociation which aggrieved the group in the first place.

As seen on Reuters, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated on Saturday that Rwanda’s activities in eastern Congo breached the Washington Accords and vowed to “take action to ensure promises made to the President are kept.”

However, Rwanda has consistently denied any affiliation with the rebel group.

Paul Kagame and Felix Tshisekedi, the leaders of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), met with the president of the United States to put an end to the violence caused by M23 rebels in the eastern part of the DRC.

A permanent peace, the disarmament of non-state actors, justice for those who have committed “illegal atrocities,” a new framework for economic development, and measures for refugees to return to their homes were all included in the deal.

However, the United Nations said that more than 200,000 people have been forced to escape fresh attacks in the eastern area of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, less than a week after the agreement was reached.