AFC/M23 Rebels Surround Uvira City Cow-horn Style

Uvira City, the current political capital of South Kivu Province, is likely to be captured by battle-hardened forces.

The rebels said they had surrounded Uvira City from all entry points leaving Lake Tanganyika as the only safe passage.

“After provoking the AFC/M23, rebels  swung in action with a counterattack with such intensity that the FARDC and their allies lost several positions, notably Kirungu and Mitamba, located on the heights of the city of Uvira,” a source told Taarifa.

The rebels are clashing with government troops on fronts at Biriba and Runigu. A source said that highway RN5 has been cut off between Bukavu and Uvira.

Another source added that Technically, the city has been locked from all entries and the remaining exit is as usual the water way to Burundi.

Meanwhile, Jean-Jacques Purusi, the Governor of South Kivu who has been in the DRC capital Kinshasa, was ordered by President Felix Tshisekedi to return to Uvira two days ago with orders to organize a counteroffensive against the AFC/M23 positions.

However, the attack was thus launched Tuesday morning, “it resulted in a retreat that brought AFC/M23 to the gates of Uvira! This evening, they are in Kirungu!”.