DRC News Monitor #18

News Monitor #18
22 January 2026

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HIGHLIGHT: THE M23 WITHDRAWAL FROM UVIRA

On 15 January, M23 announced that they were fully withdrawing from Uvira (South Kivu), and placing the ‘full and entire responsibility’ of the city with the international community. As they completed their drawdown, Wazalendo militias and FARDC units re-entered the city.
As M23 vacated the city, they urged Banyamulenge civilians to leave with them, telling them they would be subject to reprisal attacks once Wazalendo and FARDC returned. Some observers, including members of a Banyamulenge group in the United States, have called this ‘forced displacement’ and ‘deportation’ of Banyamulenge communities from Uvira. Analysts say that this is but one example of M23 instrumentalizing the cause of the Banyamulenge to justify their military actions, and instead exposes them to further violence.
Following M23 withdrawal, there was widespread looting of homes, shops, churches and public buildings affiliated with the Banyamulenge community, by both civilians and Wazalendo militiamen. It was also reported that 162 families were displaced and 19 people abducted by Wazalendo as they were trying to flee and that only 7 Banyamulenge families remain in the city.
On 19 January, the Congolese government announced a ‘progressive restoration of state authority’ in Uvira, and government and military officials called for the protection of all civilians, including Banyamulenge.
On 21 January, the AFC/M23 leadership held a public meeting in Bukavu to announce their withdrawal from Uvira and their plan to liberate the country. PAEMA has received information from numerous independent sources that M23 has only withdrawn 30-35km from Uvira, repositioning themselves in Kabunabo-Sange, instead of the agreed position of Kamanyola (75 km).
Civil society groups in South Kivu called for vigilance and social cohesion and urged civilians to categorically reject any act of violence, revenge, or xenophobia.

DRC NEWS ROUNDUP

Peace processes: A high-level meeting in Lomé (Togo) headed by African Union-appointed mediator President Faure Gnassingbé brought together African actors seeking to reinforce coordination regarding mediation efforts of the crisis and underscored the need to harmonize the various initiatives (see more in Peace processes section below). Beyond bringing peace and stability to the Great Lakes region, the meeting was underscored by the challenge to prove the political maturity of African action in the face of the continent’s security challenges. However, overall, mediation efforts remain stalled, including in Doha, where neither party is willing to return to the table.
U.S. - DRC Critical Minerals Deal: A collective of Congolese lawyers and human rights defenders, alongside NGOs, has filed a case with the Constitutional Court to repeal the Strategic Partnership agreement signed with the US on 4 December. The group alleges that the agreement violates key constitutional provisions, including sovereignty over natural resources, prohibitions on alienating sovereignty outside of African unity efforts, and requirements for parliamentary or referendum approval for treaties involving territorial or resource exchanges.

DRC UPDATES

HUMAN RIGHTS

On 12 January, FDLR killed two civilians and injured eight others on the road between Kanyabayonga and Rwindi, in Rutshuru territory (North Kivu).
On 13 January, ADF rebels killed five civilians in Maussa village and four in Kasalala, both located in Lubero territory, North Kivu.
On 16 January, it was revealed that Chini ya Tuna militants had executed eight civilians they had abducted a week earlier, in Balingina (Irumu, Ituri).
More than 12 self-proclaimed Wazalendo groups were documented in Mambasa territory (Ituri). Civilians decry their carrying out arbitrary arrests, sometimes leading to death, and clashing, causing human and material damage.

ARMED CONFLICT

South Kivu

On 14 January, FARDC carried out drone strikes on the Kalundu harbor in Uvira, allegedly targeting an M23 intelligence cell.
FARDC said they killed 180 M23 rebels on 14 and 15 January in air strikes in Uvira and Fizi territories.
A series of clashes took place between the Twirwaneho militia (a Banyamulenge ethnic militia allied with M23) and the FARDC-FDNB (Burundian forces)-Wazalendo coalition in Fizi territory. The clashes culminated when Twirwaneho seized Point Zero, a capture which analysts say could open a strategic corridor towards Fizi town and Baraka and allow the rebels to progress further south.

North Kivu

Masisi: On 11 January, two days after M23 consolidated their positions in the area, the group clashed against Wazalendo in Kazinga. Another clash took place in Kalembe on 13 January.
Rutshuru: Wazalendo militants from the Hutu CMC (Collectif des mouvements pour le changement) Nyatura coalition clashed against M23 in Bukombo January 12 through 15th.
Walikale: On 13 January, M23 launched simultaneous assaults in the villages of Buma, Mbompi, and Iteya. On 19 January, FARDC carried out drone strikes on M23 positions on Mount Kasopo.
Lubero: On 19 January, Wazalendo set fire to a FARDC position in Misevere.

Ituri

Djugu: On 16 January, FARDC regained control of the town of Bule, after a month of occupation from Thomas Lubanga’s CRP militia. Eleven CRP militants were killed during the clash.
Mambasa: Between 6 and 9 January, ADF rebels attacked military positions near Banzu-Banzu, approximately 30 kilometers from Mambasa town, leading to at least 20 fatalities and dozens injured.

DEVELOPMENT, HEALTH AND HUMANITARIAN

France announced that of the 1.5 billion euros pledged at the Paris Conference in October 2025 (see Monitor #13); 850 million had already been disbursed. These represent the funds allocated for the emergency humanitarian aid.
OCHA has published its analytical note on the humanitarian financing gap in the DRC and its operational impacts. It highlights a sharp decline in financing for 2026, with the raised funds representing only approximately 24% of the total needs.

DISPLACEMENT

On 16 January, more than 4,000 Congolese refugees in Burundi’s Busuma Camp staged a protest to demand their return to DRC, deeming their living conditions in the camp ‘unbearable’.
Over 170 IDPs from Kwamouth territory, many of them women and children, have died in Bandundu due to poor living conditions in the camps, where the last government aid dates back to October 2022.
In the month of December, OCHA recorded 1.84 million internally displaced persons in North Kivu province while in January, 1.5 million were reported in Fizi, Uvira, and Mwenga territories of South Kivu.

REPORTING AND ANALYSIS

In a commentary for the Egmont Institute, “Why does peace not come to the DRC?”, Koen Vlassenroot and Aymar Nyenyezi Bisoka argue that the the structural conditions necessary for negotiated peace do not currently exist in DRC, and suggest that peace may only come if an external force capable of imposing a new balance of power intervenes, warning that the alternative is the risk of a normalized war.
In Just Security, Brad Brooks-Rubin argues that current approaches to critical minerals certification and supply-chain due diligence, especially in the context of the DRC-Rwanda Regional Economic and Integration Framework (see Special Edition #2 of the News Monitor), are too broad and superficial to ensure responsible sourcing; and instead stresses that ‘function is the key’ and that due diligence must be grounded in measurable impacts and decision-making through intelligence-sharing and use of sanctions if need be.
A Human Rights Watch release highlights the increase in sexual violence in eastern DRC, with over 80,000 reported cases between January and September 2025, a 32 increase from the same period in 2024. HRW says this is due, in part, to fighters and military forces using rape as a weapon of war, and underscores that aid cuts, notably from the United States, have left survivors with little to no resources.
The Kivu Security Tracker has published its monthly report for December 2025, and reports 379 civilian deaths.

PEACE PROCESSES

Meeting in Lomé

A high-level meeting in Lomé (Togo) headed by African Union-appointed mediator President Faure Gnassingbé brought together African actors seeking to reinforce coordination regarding mediation efforts of the crisis and underscored the need to harmonize the various initiatives.
The meeting led to the endorsement of a revised mediation architecture, including the creation of an independent Joint Secretariat to support the Panel of Facilitators. The Panel of Facilitators is made up of five African former Heads of State in charge of a specific theme: former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo in charge of military and security questions; former Ethiopian president Sahle-Work Zewde in charge of humanitarian questions; former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta in charge of dialogue with local armed groups; former Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi in charge of regional economic cooperation; and former CAR president Catherine Samba-Panza in charge of civil society, reconciliation and women’s issues.
Beyond bringing peace and stability to the Great Lakes region, the meeting was underscored by the challenge to prove the political maturity of African action and showcase the possibility of ‘African solutions to African problems’.
Fred Bauma, Executive Director of DRC-based think tank Ebuteli, notes that the process remains stalled, especially as it lacks concrete possibilities for leverage compared to the Washington and Doha tracks.

Organization of a national dialogue

On 14 January, delegates from the DRC’s Catholic and Protestant Churches (CENCO and ECC, respectively), met in Luanda (Angola) with Angolan President João Lourenço, where they reiterated their ask for the organization of a national dialogue.
However, this long-demanded process is meeting political pushback from the Tshisekedi regime. Patrick Muyaya, the DRC government’s spokesman, has blasted those ‘complicit with the aggressor who think they can come back through a political dialogue’.
Lourenço’s return to the mediation landscape has raised questions as to whether this indicates the creation of yet another mediation stream, on top of those in Doha, Lomé and D.C.

DOMESTIC POLITICS

On 17 January, the Presidency’s security services forces arrested Aubin Minaku, a former president of the National Assembly and current vice president of Kabila-led opposition party PPRD, a month after the similar arrest of the party’s Secretary General, Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary (see Monitor #16).
Political opponent Seth Kikuni announced he had gone into exile because he faced ‘serious threats to his safety’.

BUSINESS AND MINERALS

Kinshasa has submitted to Washington a list of state-owned assets, including manganese, copper-cobalt, gold and lithium for U.S. investors to consider as part of the minerals partnership. The list has been presented to a Joint Steering Committee for American investors.
Meanwhile, a collective of Congolese lawyers and human rights defenders, alongside NGOs, has filed a case with the Constitutional Court to repeal the Strategic Partnership agreement signed with the US on 4 December. The group alleges that the agreement violates key constitutional provisions, including sovereignty over natural resources, prohibitions on alienating sovereignty outside of African unity efforts, and requirements for parliamentary or referendum approval for treaties involving territorial or resource exchanges.
On 20 January, the State Department announced it would be welcoming partners from ‘across the globe’, including from DRC, at the inaugural Critical Minerals Ministerial scheduled for 4 February. President Felix Tshisekedi is expected to be in attendance.

GREAT LAKES AND REGIONAL DYNAMICS

With little suspense, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni was re-elected for a seventh term, though questions about whether he will be able to see this term through remain.
Rwanda has decided to renominate Louise Mushikiwabo as the head of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF). Louise Mushikiwabo, former Foreign Minister of Rwanda, has already served two mandates as head of the OIF. In turn, Kinshasa is seeking a candidate to appoint to the election.
In front of the diplomatic and consular corps accredited to Burundi, Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye called for greater involvement by the United Nations, in particular by strengthening the mandate of MONUSCO. He said MONUSCO should be a true ‘neutral buffer force’ between the Rwandan and Congolese borders.
The DRC and South Sudan are reinforcing their security cooperation, with a meeting on 14 January in Aru (Ituri) where a prisoner exchange mechanism was put in place.

U.S. AND INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMACY

On the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos (Switzerland), international partners such as Belgium and the Netherlands met with counterparts such as Rwandan FM Olivier Nduhungirehe and President Tshisekedi to reiterate their support for dialogue to put an end to the crisis.
The State Department has suspended the processing of immigration visas for citizens of 75 countries, including DRC. At the White House, President Trump stated that Congolese immigrants came from prison and were some of the ‘toughest, meanest people you will ever meet’.
MONUSCO is still without a chief following the anticipated departure of Bintou Keita in late November. The two main candidates to the position were both nominated by the U.S., causing tensions with Beijing at the Security Council.
The U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Africa Subcommittee will hold a hearing, “Advancing Peace in DRC and Rwanda Through President Trump’s Washington Accords” on Thursday, 22 January at 2pm ET, with Deputy Assistant Secretary for Africa, Sarah Troutman, testifying. A live and recorded version can be viewed.
On 13 January, the bipartisan Developing Overseas Mineral Investments and New Allied Networks for Critical Energies (DOMINANCE) Act was introduced in the U.S. House. The bill is intended to accelerate U.S. acquisition of priority minerals, enhance cooperation with allies, and forge strategic mineral and energy partnerships around the globe.

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Version francophone

A LA LOUPE: LE RETRAIT DU M23 D’UVIRA

Le 15 janvier, le M23 a annoncé son retrait complet d'Uvira (Sud-Kivu) et a dit placer la ville « sous la responsabilité pleine et entière de la communauté internationale ». Une fois le retrait du M23 achevé, les milices Wazalendo et les unités FARDC ont réintégré la ville.
En quittant la ville, le M23 a exhorté les civils banyamulenge à partir avec eux, leur disant qu'ils seraient victimes de représailles une fois que les Wazalendo et les FARDC seraient de retour. Certains observateurs, notamment des membres d'un groupe banyamulenge aux États-Unis, ont qualifié ces exhortation de « déplacement forcé » et de « déportation » des communautés banyamulenge d'Uvira. Selon les analystes, il ne s'agit là que d'un exemple parmi d'autres de l'instrumentalisation par le M23 de la cause des Banyamulenge afin de justifier la campagne militaire du groupe, et expose en réalité les Banyamulenge à davantage de violence.
Après le retrait du M23, des pillages généralisés de maisons, de magasins, d'églises et de bâtiments publics, notamment affiliés à la communauté banyamulenge ont été perpétrés tant par des civils que par des milices Wazalendo. Il a également été signalé que 162 familles ont été déplacées et 19 personnes enlevées par les Wazalendo alors qu'elles tentaient de fuir, et que seules 7 familles banyamulenge restent dans la ville.
Le 19 janvier, le gouvernement congolais a annoncé un « plan de restauration progressive de l'autorité de l'État » à Uvira, et les responsables gouvernementaux et militaires ont appelé à la protection de tous les civils, y compris les Banyamulenge.
Le 21 janvier, les dirigeants de l'AFC/M23 ont tenu une réunion publique à Bukavu pour annoncer leur retrait d'Uvira et leur projet de “libération” du pays. PAEMA a reçu de nombreuses sources indépendantes des informations selon lesquelles le M23 ne s'est retiré qu'à 30-35 km d'Uvira pour se replier à Kabunabo-Sange, au lieu de la position convenue de Kamanyola (75 km).
Les groupes de la société civile du Sud-Kivu ont appelé à la vigilance et à la cohésion sociale et ont exhorté les civils à rejeter catégoriquement tout acte de violence, de vengeance ou de xénophobie.

EN BREF

Processus de paix. Une réunion de haut niveau à Lomé (Togo), présidée par le président Faure Gnassingbé, médiateur désigné par l'Union africaine, a rassemblé les acteurs africains cherchant à renforcer la coordination des efforts de médiation dans la crise et a souligné la nécessité d'harmoniser les différentes initiatives (voir la section Processus de paix pour plus d'informations). Au-delà de l’enjeu de la paix et de stabilité dans la région des Grands Lacs, la réunion a été marquée par le défi de prouver la maturité politique de l'action africaine face aux défis sécuritaires du continent. Cependant, dans l'ensemble, les efforts de médiation restent au point mort, y compris à Doha, où aucune des parties n'est disposée à revenir à la table des négociations.
Accord entre les États-Unis et la RDC sur les minerais critiques. Un collectif d'avocats et de défenseurs des droits humains congolais, aux côtés d'ONG, a saisi la Cour constitutionnelle afin d'annuler l'accord de partenariat stratégique signé avec les États-Unis le 4 décembre. Le groupe affirme que cet accord viole des dispositions constitutionnelles fondamentales, notamment la souveraineté sur les ressources naturelles, l'interdiction d'aliéner la souveraineté en dehors des efforts d'unité africaine et les exigences d’approbation parlementaire ou référendaire pour les traités impliquant des échanges territoriaux ou de ressources.

ACTUALITÉS

DROITS HUMAINS

Le 12 janvier, les FDLR (Forces Démocratiques pour la Libération du Rwanda) ont tué deux civils et en ont blessé huit autres sur la route entre Kanyabayonga et Rwindi, dans le territoire de Rutshuru (Nord-Kivu).
Le 13 janvier, les rebelles ADF (Allied Democratic Forces) ont tué cinq civils dans le village de Maussa et quatre à Kasalala, tous deux situés dans le territoire de Lubero, au Nord-Kivu.
Le 16 janvier, il a été révélé que des militants de Chini ya Tuna avaient exécuté huit civils qu'ils avaient enlevés une semaine plus tôt à Balingina (Irumu, Ituri).
Plus de 12 groupes autoproclamés Wazalendo ont été recensés dans le territoire de Mambasa (Ituri). Les civils dénoncent leurs arrestations arbitraires, parfois mortelles, et leurs affrontements, qui contribuent à l’insécurité et causent des dommages humains et matériels.

CONFLITS ARMÉS

Sud-Kivu

Le 14 janvier, les FARDC ont mené des frappes de drones sur le port de Kalundu à Uvira, visant prétendument une cellule de renseignement du M23.
Les FARDC ont déclaré avoir tué 180 rebelles du M23 les 14 et 15 janvier lors de frappes aériennes dans les territoires d'Uvira et de Fizi.
Une série d'affrontements a eu lieu entre la milice Twirwaneho (une milice ethnique banyamulenge alliée au M23) et la coalition FARDC-FDNB (forces burundaises)-Wazalendo dans le territoire de Fizi. Les affrontements ont culminé lorsque Twirwaneho s'est emparé de Point Zero, une prise qui, selon les analystes, pourrait ouvrir un corridor stratégique vers la ville de Fizi et Baraka et permettre aux rebelles de progresser plus au sud.

Nord-Kivu

Masisi. Le 11 janvier, deux jours après que le M23 ait consolidé ses positions dans la région, le groupe s'est affronté contre les Wazalendo à Kazinga. Un autre affrontement a eu lieu à Kalembe le 13 janvier.
Rutshuru. Les militants du Wazalendo appartenant à la coalition hutu CMC (Collectif des mouvements pour le changement)-Nyatura se sont opposés au M23 à Bukombo du 12 au 15 janvier.
Walikale. Le 13 janvier, le M23 a lancé des assauts simultanés dans les villages de Buma, Mbompi et Iteya. Le 19 janvier, les FARDC ont mené des frappes de drones contre les positions du M23 sur le mont Kasopo.
Lubero. Le 19 janvier, les Wazalendo ont incendié une position des FARDC à Misevere.