AFC/M23 Denies Reports of Withdrawal from Bukavu, Labels Statement ‘Fabricated’

The armed group AFC/M23 has strongly dismissed circulating reports claiming it ordered its fighters to withdraw from the city of Bukavu in South Kivu province.

The denial follows the widespread sharing on social media of a statement attributed to Bertrand Bisimwa, the group’s deputy leader in charge of political affairs, democracy, and governance. The alleged statement suggested that AFC/M23 had decided to pull out of Bukavu as part of efforts to pave the way for lasting peace.

However, the group’s spokesperson, Lawrence Kanyuka, rejected the document as false. In a message posted on X (formerly Twitter), Kanyuka described the statement as fabricated and accused the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) of orchestrating the misinformation campaign.

According to Kanyuka, the alleged false communication is part of a broader attempt to divert public attention from an attack carried out by Congolese forces in the eastern city of Goma on March 11, 2026.

He further stressed that no amount of misinformation would erase the memory of the incident, which reportedly resulted in the death of Karine Buisset, a French national working with UNICEF.

AFC/M23 has maintained control of Bukavu since February 2025