US accuses Rwanda of violating peace deal as M23 rebels seize key city in eastern Congo

UNITED NATIONS — The United States accused Rwanda on Friday of violating a U.S.-brokered peace agreement by backing a new and deadly offensive in the mineral-rich eastern Congo and warned that the Trump administration will take action against ''spoilers'' of the deal.

The remarks by U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz came as more than 400 civilians have been killed since the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels escalated their offensive in the South Kivu province in eastern Congo, according to regional officials. These officials also say that Rwandan special forces were in the strategic city of Uvira.

Waltz told the U.N. Security Council that the U.S. is "profoundly concerned and incredibly disappointed with the renewed outbreak of violence'' by the M23 armed group.

''Rwanda is leading the region towards increased instability and war,'' Waltz warned. ''We will use the tools at our disposal to hold to account spoilers to peace.''

He called on Rwanda to uphold its commitments and recognize Congo's right to defend its territory and invite neighboring and friendly Burundi's forces onto its territory to fight alongside Congolese forces.

He also said the U.S. is engaging with all sides ''to urge restraint and to avoid further escalation."

The rebels' latest push

The accord didn't include the rebel group, which is negotiating separately with Congo and agreed earlier this year to a ceasefire that both sides accuse the other of violating. However, it obliges Rwanda to halt support for armed groups like M23 and work to end hostilities.

The rebels' advance pushed the conflict to the doorstep of neighboring Burundi, which has maintained troops in eastern Congo for years, heightening fears of a broader regional spillover.

M23 captures a key city

Congo's ministry of communication confirmed in a statement Friday that M23 has seized the strategic port city of Uvira in eastern Congo, on the northern tip of Lake Tanganyika and directly across from Burundi's largest city, Bujumbura.

Uvira was Congo's government's last major foothold in South Kivu after the provincial capital of Bukavu fell to the rebels in February. Its capture allows the rebels to consolidate a broad corridor of influence across the east.

Congo, the U.S. and U.N. experts accuse Rwanda of backing M23, which had hundreds of members in 2021. Now, according to the U.N., the group has around 6,500 fighters.

Waltz said Rwandan forces ''have provided materiel, logistics and training support to M23, as well as fighting alongside M23'' in eastern Congo, with "roughly 5,000 to 7,000 troops as of early December.''

Congo's Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner accused Rwanda of trampling on the peace agreement, ''which brought and continues to bring the hope of a historic turning point.''

She warned, however, that the ''very credibility of the entire process … is at stake,'' and urged the Security Council to impose sanctions against military and political leaders responsible for the attacks, ban mineral exports from Rwanda and prohibit it from contributing troops to U.N. peacekeeping missions.

Rwanda's Ambassador to the U.N. Karoli Martin Ngoga accused Congo of repeatedly breaking the ceasefire and announcing ''they would never stop attacks.''

Nearly 2 million Hutus from Rwanda fled to Congo after the 1994 Rwandan genocide that killed 800,000 Tutsi, moderate Hutus and others. Rwandan authorities have accused Hutus who fled of participating in the genocide, alleging that the Congolese army protected them.

''Rwanda reiterates its full commitment to implement its part of the agreement,'' Ngoga told the Security Council.

While Rwanda denies the claim that it backs M23, it acknowledged last year that it has troops and missile systems in eastern Congo, allegedly to safeguard its security. U.N. experts estimate there are up to 4,000 Rwandan forces in Congo.

More than 100 armed groups are vying for a foothold in mineral-rich eastern Congo near the border with Rwanda, most prominently M23. The conflict has created one of the world's most significant humanitarian crises, with more than 7 million people displaced, according to the U.N. agency for refugees.

Civilians fleeing eastern Congo have also crossed into Burundi, and there have been reports of shells falling in the town of Rugombo, on the Burundian side of the border, raising concerns about the conflict spilling over into Burundian territory.