Description: Officials within the US administration tasked with addressing the war in the DR Congo have expressed concerns over the situation as the M23 rebels and government militias continue to engage in armed clashes in the town of Uvira. The town was captured by M23 rebels earlier this month but after diplomatic pressure from the US, the rebel group pledged to withdraw its forces as an act of good faith and continued negotiations. US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, reiterated accusations towards Rwanda for supporting the rebel group and stated that M23 violated the commitments to withdraw from the town and dedicate efforts to continue the negotiations with DRC’s government mediated by Qatar. The medical charity MSF along with reports from the United Nations refugee agency, UNCHR, claimed that a massive crisis emerged on the border with Burundi where medically impaired people, children, women and wounded men were consistently treated with limited resources.
Impact: The continued armed engagement in the eastern parts of the DRC diminishes the diplomatic efforts by mediators and other countries made to persuade the rebels and the DRC government to halt all hostile activities. The current priority as reflected by the situation on the ground is establishing control over larger swathes of territory which would in turn guarantee significant leverage in the ongoing negotiations process and position the entire peace platform back on the discussion table. The dire humanitarian situation only complements the crisis and deteriorates the conditions for establishing a stable peace platform. The situation remains unstable as more advances by the M23 and operations by the DRC military and its allied militias are expected since the effects of the official accords signed by government representatives experience difficulties into translating towards the situation on the ground.