Burundian soldiers stood guard at the Kavimvira border post as more than 500 Burundian civilians crossed back into their country from the Democratic Republic of Congo. They had been trapped in eastern DR Congo after the M23 militia launched a new offensive in early December, disrupting movement along the frontier.
Shortly after a United States–brokered peace deal was signed in Washington, the M23 advanced and captured the town of Uvira in South Kivu. Control of Uvira has given the group command of the main land crossing with Burundi and cut DR Congo off from direct military support from its southern neighbour.
During a visit to the now-reopened border organised by the M23, the group’s spokesperson, Lawrence Kanyuka, sought to demonstrate that Burundian civilians could now cross safely. Long queues of men and women stretched back from the checkpoint as people waited to return home after days of uncertainty.
Many of those crossing described repeated displacement as fighting moved from one town to another. One man, who had fled intense clashes near Uvira and later from Sange towards the Burundian border, pushed an overloaded bicycle stacked with flour, solar panels and jerrycans while his young son sat on top. Others said they were returning despite fear and insecurity because they risked starving if they stayed away any longer.
The advance by M23 has deepened concern about a broader regional war in Africa’s Great Lakes region. UN peacekeeping chief Jean‑Pierre Lacroix warned that the latest gains by the group have revived fears of a regional escalation and even the potential fragmentation of DR Congo.
Along National Route 5, which links Kamanyola to Uvira, the impact of the offensive is visible. Burnt-out army trucks, discarded weapons, deserted villages and looted homes line a road that is normally busy but is now largely empty.
In the Ruzizi plain, small groups of displaced people walked on foot through the open landscape, carrying their belongings and hoping to reach their homes or relatives. Some, like a man searching for his three missing sisters, still did not know whether their loved ones had survived the chaos of flight.
Inside Uvira and its outskirts, daily life remains fragile. In Kavimvira, most shops and market stalls stayed closed as residents hurried home before nightfall while M23 fighters searched houses for Congolese or Burundian soldiers, allied militia members or hidden weapons.
Burundi had previously deployed about 18,000 troops to support Congolese forces against M23, but most have now withdrawn back across the border. Local residents say public transport is scarce, basic services are difficult to access and even finding drinking water can be a challenge.
Despite fear, some residents gathered for Sunday mass at Uvira’s cathedral to pray for peace and a lasting end to the violence. While a uneasy calm has returned inside the town, fighting continues roughly 15 kilometres to the south around Makobola, and M23 forces are reported to be pushing towards the towns of Baraka and Fizi.
Regional and international actors remain concerned that the militia’s continued advance, despite the recent peace efforts, could undermine the Washington agreement and destabilise a wider area of the Great Lakes region. For many civilians on both sides of the border, the priority is simply to reunite with family members and rebuild their shattered lives amid great uncertainty.
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