War scars cast shadow in eastern DR Congo

UVIRA, DR Congo/UNITED NATIONS — Along the road linking Bukavu to Uvira in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, the marks of war remain stark and unmistakable following a series of offensives by the March 23 Movement rebels, who recently claimed they had taken control of the strategic city of Uvira.

Charred military vehicles lie twisted along the roadside. Buildings are scarred by bullet impacts. Abandoned military positions and shards of metal litter the asphalt. Together, they bear witness to the intensity of clashes between the M23 and the Armed Forces of the DRC along this vital artery connecting the northern and southern parts of South Kivu Province.

Since Dec 2, South Kivu Province has been engulfed in fighting on multiple fronts. The M23 said on Wednesday that it had seized control of Uvira city, triggering a wave of internal displacement across the province. Around 500,000 people have been "on the move" since Dec 2, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

DRC authorities said more than 400 people have been killed since the new round of fighting began. At the same time, Burundi announced the closure of its border posts with the DRC, all located in South Kivu Province, a move that has further deepened an already severe humanitarian crisis.

From Kamanyola, a town about 50 kilometers south of Bukavu, South Kivu's capital city, the road offers an early glimpse of what lies ahead. Along its edges, military vehicles remain where they were left, burned out, torn open and abandoned. In some stretches, travel has become hazardous, with unexploded ordnance still visible near the roadway.

At the entrance to Uvira, a fragile calm appears to have settled after days of heightened tension. Daily activity remains severely disrupted, but the city is not entirely frozen, as residents slowly reemerge, stepping cautiously out of their homes as if testing the air. A handful of shops have reopened and markets are tentatively reorganizing.

This hesitant return is unfolding under a heavy military presence, with M23 fighters deployed around key sites across the city and stationed at major intersections. Uvira is functioning again, but under close watch, according to several residents.

Uvira, South Kivu's second-largest city, served as the provisional administrative center after the provincial capital Bukavu fell to the M23 in February.

At the regional level, the situation remains highly volatile.

Addressing the United Nations Security Council on Friday, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, UN under-secretary-general for peace operations, said the DRC continues to face a deep security and humanitarian crisis, with civilians bearing the brunt of the violence.

He warned that the latest M23 offensive in South Kivu had "revived the specter of a regional conflagration with incalculable consequences". Recent developments posed "a serious risk of fragmentation of the DRC, particularly in its eastern part", he said, adding that "the conflict is becoming increasingly regionalized".

Lacroix said the direct or indirect involvement of forces and armed groups from neighboring countries, combined with cross-border movements of displaced civilians and fighters, significantly heightened "the risk of regional escalation".

The current situation in eastern DRC remains tense as escalating conflict and violence have led to a grave humanitarian crisis, said Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the United Nations. It is imperative to end hostilities immediately, he told the Security Council.

Between Dec 5 and Dec 9, about 38,000 asylum seekers from eastern DRC crossed into Burundi to escape the violence, Burundi's National Radio and Television reported on Wednesday.

According to the DRC government, the presence of hostile forces in Uvira prompted the closure of the border with Burundi, cutting off a vital supply corridor for food, fuel and basic goods, and raising fears of shortages.

On Friday, Kinshasa said it would start discussions with Burundi on the possible establishment of a temporary humanitarian corridor.

Xinhua—Agencies