Ugandan forces take over Kiwanja as M23 rebels leave
Ugandan troops on a mission to restore peace in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo stated that they now control the Kiwanja area,as M23 rebels leave
In order to put the outcomes of the meetings in Nairobi and Luanda into action, the M23 group has started liberating territories in Eastern DRC that it had previously occupied.
On April 3, 2023, this group handed over the Bunagana region to the Ugandan army as part of the East African Community’s (EACRF) mandate.
Uganda Defense Forces spokesperson, On April 10, 2023, Brig. Gen Felix Kulayigye announced through Twitter that the Ugandan Army in the EACRF had reached the territory of Kiwanja in the Rutshuru Territory freed by the M23 group.
“After M23 surrendered the area in Eastern DRC, Ugandan forces in the EACRF arrived in Kiwanja in Rutshuru,” he said.
All EAC members have sent soldiers to Eastern Congo Kinshasa with the purpose of restoring peace in the region.
Kenyan forces are currently stationed in Kibati, Kibumba, and Rumangabo, while the Democratic Republic of the Congo has sent troops to a variety of regions.
In addition to their presence in Sake, Mshaki, Karuba, and Kilorirwe, Burundian troops are anticipated to remain in Kitchanga.
It takes place while the Ugandan Army is already in Bunagana and was given the deadline of April 15, 2023, to reach Kiwanja.
The M23 group has repeatedly accused the Government Forces of wanting to pick up where it left off and use it for attacks. It considers these things to be against the peace agreement in order to provoke conflict.
M23 rose to prominence ten years ago when its fighters seized Goma, the main city in eastern Congo on the Rwandan border. It takes its name from a March 23, 2009, peace agreement that it accuses the Congolese government of failing to fulfill.
After being largely dormant for a decade, the M23 resurfaced in late 2021 and started capturing territory. Congo has long accused Rwanda of supporting the M23 group and powerful voices in the West back that assertion — which Rwanda vehemently denies. Earlier this year regional heads of state urged an immediate cease-fire by all parties and sought more troops for a regional force sent to eastern Congo last year.
