The M23 rebel movement has announced its withdrawal from the strategic city of Uvira in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, following a request from American mediators involved in efforts to ease the ongoing conflict.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the group said it had agreed to a request made by US mediators the previous day to pull its fighters out of the city.
The M23 has been engaged in fierce fighting with Congolese government forces for more than a year, a conflict that has left hundreds of thousands of civilians killed or displaced.
Earlier this month, the presidents of DR Congo and Rwanda which Kinshasa accuses of supporting the M23 signed a US-brokered peace agreement in Washington on December 4. However, the M23 was not part of those talks and went on to seize Uvira, located near the borders with Burundi and Rwanda, only days after the agreement was signed.
The rebel group said the decision to withdraw was taken “in the interest of peace,” with reports indicating that its fighters began leaving the city voluntarily.
According to sources, the pullout is expected to be completed by Thursday.
