In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, M23 leaders say they have agreed to withdraw from the key town of Uvira in the eastern DRC at the request of the Trump administration. This came just days after Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the city’s capture last week, saying it violated a U.S.-brokered truce signed by Rwandan President Paul Kagame and DRC leader Félix Tshisekedi earlier this month at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., hosted by Trump. M23 fighters are not signatories of that deal and have been involved in parallel peace talks led by Qatar. Rwanda has been repeatedly accused of backing M23.

In related news, Human Rights Watch reports at least 22 civilians were killed and scores more injured in an attack by militia fighters in late November 2025 on a territory in the western DRC. As ethnic conflicts rise in the region, HRW said in a statement, “The global focus on the peace accords in eastern Congo shouldn’t distract from the unchecked violence and injustice and the cycles of impunity in other areas.”