- Title: Congo governor blames AFC-M23 for Uvira mass graves, rebels deny
- Date: 2nd March 2026
- Summary: GOMA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (FEBRUARY 27, 2025) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) SPOKESPERSON OF AFC/M23, LAURENCE KANYUKA, SAYING: "This information is false, actually politically motivated, full of lies and full of propaganda. The DRC government knows too well there were no fighting going on in the town of Uvira or surrounding Uvira. As you well know, the reason th
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- Keywords: Africa Border Central DRC Dispute International Politics Relations Rwanda ammunition congo gun m23 mine peace deal security
- Location: UVIRA AND GOMA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
- City: UVIRA AND GOMA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
- Country: Congo, Democratic Republic of the
- Topics: Africa,Conflicts/War/Peace
- Reuters ID: LVA004010402032026RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: PART QUALITY AS INCOMING
South Kivu’s provincial governor visited a cemetery in Uvira on February 20, where authorities say they discovered a mass grave containing more than 120 bodies. He accused Rwanda‑backed AFC/M23 rebels of carrying out massacres during their recent presence in the eastern Congolese town, an allegation the group strongly denies.
The visit comes as fighting continues between the Democratic Republic of Congo’s government and the M23 movement, which has seized territory across the mineral‑rich east in a conflict that has escalated sharply in recent years.
The group briefly captured key towns in North and South Kivu, including Uvira. Kinshasa, the United Nations and several Western governments accuse Rwanda of supporting the rebels, a charge Kigali rejects.
Authorities say they uncovered mass graves after the rebels withdrew. Reuters was unable to independently verify the identity of the bodies or how they died, and reporters could not access the sites, which remain heavily militarised with restricted entry.
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