Vendors and customers crowd a market in Uvira, Democratic Republic of Congo, on Tuesday, December 9. AFP/Getty Images AP —

Rwanda-backed rebel group M23 said that it had taken control of the strategic city of Uvira in eastern Congo on Wednesday afternoon, following a rapid offensive since the start of the month and on the heels of a US attempt to quell violence from the conflict.

The announcement, made on social platform X by M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka, encouraged citizens who fled to return to their homes. Uvira is an important port city on the northern tip of Lake Tanganyika and is directly across from neighboring Burundi’s largest city, Bujumbura.

M23’s latest offensive comes despite a US-mediated peace agreement signed last week by the Congolese and Rwandan presi

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