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Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –
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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
Kinshasa, December 10 (Xinhua) — Militants from the rebel group March 23 Movement (M23) have entered the strategically important city of Uvira in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the group announced in a statement Wednesday.
“We confirm that the city of Uvira has been liberated,” M23 spokesman Lawrence Kanyuka wrote on social media X, calling on residents to return to their normal lives with complete peace of mind.
Rebel forces were reportedly spotted on the northern outskirts of Uvira on Wednesday morning, before advancing into several areas of the city. Local residents told Xinhua they saw individuals identified as M23 militants moving around the city.
The DRC authorities have not yet commented on the latest events in Uvira. However, government spokesman Patrick Muyaya stated late Tuesday evening that authorities are closely monitoring the situation around the city.
In a statement released Wednesday morning, the DRC Armed Forces (FARDC) denied the rebels' claims, calling them a "diversionary tactic" designed to sow panic.
"The town and its surrounding areas remain under the control of the army loyal to the authorities," said FARDC spokesman for the town's Uvira district, Mbuyi Kalonji Reagan, calling on residents to "remain calm and vigilant."
Uvira, the second largest city in South Kivu province, served as the temporary administrative center of the region after the city of Bukavu fell under rebel control. Uvira's strategic importance as a key commercial hub on the border with Burundi is enhanced by its proximity to the Greater Katanga region, one of the DRC's main economic zones.
Burundi has closed its border with the DRC in response to the situation in Uvira, located near Burundi's economic capital, Bujumbura, security sources in the DRC said on Wednesday.
On December 8, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the DRC, Bruno Lemarquis, warned of a rapidly escalating situation in South Kivu province, saying that heavy fighting between December 2 and 7 had killed at least 74 people, displaced more than 200,000 others, and sent thousands of refugees fleeing toward Burundi and Rwanda.
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