Rebels say they will withdraw troops from Uvira city at Trump administration’s request

A rebel leader in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo says his fighters will evacuate a key city at the request of the United States.

Days earlier, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the rebel occupation of Uvira violated the peace agreement and that the United States would “take action to ensure that the commitments made to the president (Donald Trump) are fulfilled.”

Nanga said the rebels would withdraw from the city as a “confidence-building measure”.

The United States accuses Rwanda of supporting the rebels. Rwanda denies the accusation, but Rwandan President Paul Kagame signed a peace deal with Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi on December 4 at a ceremony hosted by Trump in Washington.

The US president hailed the agreement as “historic” and a “great day for Africa”.

The rebels did not sign the agreement and have been participating in a parallel peace process led by Qatar, a U.S. ally with close ties to Rwanda.

Nangaa is the coordinator of the Congo River Alliance (AFC), an alliance of rebel groups. These include the M23 movement, which European countries and the United States say is supported by Rwanda.

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s army is supported by the army of neighboring Burundi.

The M23’s capture of Uvira is a major blow to them because the city is only 27 kilometers (17 miles) from Bujumbura, Burundi’s economic capital, at the northern end of Lake Tanganyika.

“AFC/M23 will unilaterally withdraw its troops from the city of Uvira in accordance with the requirements of U.S. mediation,” Southern California said in a statement, adding that it was doing so to give the Qatari-brokered peace process “the greatest chance of success.”

He gave no indication of when troops would be withdrawn but called for the deployment of a “neutral force” to monitor the ceasefire and prevent DRC forces from regaining control of the territory they lost.

The United Nations says some 200,000 people have fled their homes in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo since the latest round of fighting began earlier this month.

At least 74 people, mostly civilians, were killed, while 83 others were injured and taken to hospital, the report added.

Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo has been racked by conflict for more than 30 years, and many peace initiatives to end the fighting have failed.

The Trump administration hopes its peace initiative will help pave the way for U.S. companies to increase investment in the resource-rich region.

The US State Department says mineral reserves in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are estimated at $25 trillion (£21.2 trillion) in 2023.

These include cobalt, copper, lithium, manganese and tantalum – used to make electronic components used in computers, electric cars, cell phones, wind turbines and military hardware.

Rebels began making significant gains earlier this year when they captured Goma, the capital of North Kivu province on the border with Rwanda.

At the time, South African troops were deployed to help the Democratic Republic of Congo’s troops but were forced to withdraw after the M23 took over the city in January.

Soon after, rebels captured the next largest city in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province.

The operation in Uvira, the last major government stronghold in South Kivu province, came after rebels broke through defense lines between the Democratic Republic of Congo’s army, allied militias and the Burundian army.

The offensive began days before Kagame and Tshisekedi flew to Washington to ratify the deal first finalized in June.