Burundi on Tuesday began withdrawing its forces from eastern Congo, where they had been fighting against M23 rebels.

This marks another setback for the Democratic Republic of Congo’s army as it struggles to halt the rebel advance.

The withdrawal came as the UN human rights office accused M23 rebels of executing children in eastern Congo during their offensive, which has seen the group seize the region’s two largest cities.The Burundian troops are withdrawing from the Democratic Republic of Congo. A number of trucks filled with military personnel have arrived in the country since yesterday through a border post,” a Burundian army officer said.

It was reported that Burundian soldiers fought alongside Congolese forces in an attempt to defend Kavumu, home to the airport serving Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province, which fell over the weekend.

Burundi has had soldiers in eastern Congo for years, initially to hunt down Burundian rebels but, more recently, to support the fight against M23.

The well-equipped M23 is the latest in a long line of ethnic Tutsi-led rebel movements to emerge in Congo’s volatile east.

Meanwhile, Rwanda has rejected allegations from Congo, the United Nations, and Western powers that it supports the group with arms and troops.


https://dailypost.ng/2025/02/18/burundi-troops-withdraw-from-m23-fight-in-new-blow-to-congo/