DRC: Uvira’s displaced lose hope as US ultimatum on Rwandan troops expires

Thousands of families displaced by fighting in and around Uvira, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, say their hopes of returning home are fading after a United States ultimatum calling for the withdrawal of Rwandan troops from the region expired this week. Despite the diplomatic deadline, clashes on the ground have continued, leaving civilians with little prospect of an early end to their displacement.

A deadline passes with no let-up in fighting

The ultimatum, issued by Washington in recent weeks, had given Rwandan forces a period to pull back from positions in eastern DRC. According to local residents and humanitarian workers in Uvira, the deadline passed on Wednesday without any visible change on the front lines. Reports from the area indicate that armed confrontations have persisted in the surrounding hills and villages, preventing displaced people from attempting even short trips back to assess their property or harvest crops.

Life on hold for displaced families

Uvira, a town on the shore of Lake Tanganyika in South Kivu province, has long been a refuge for people fleeing violence further north in the province. Many of the families now sheltering there say they have been uprooted multiple times, moving first from rural areas and then again as the front line shifted. In makeshift sites on the town’s outskirts, they describe long days spent waiting for news, with limited access to clean water, food, and medical care. The expiration of the US ultimatum has deepened a sense that the international community’s attention may move elsewhere before their situation improves.

Broader stakes in the eastern DRC conflict

The eastern DRC has been engulfed in armed violence for decades, driven by a mix of local militias, foreign armed groups, and competing regional interests. The presence of Rwandan troops in the country has been a persistent point of contention between Kinshasa and Kigali, with the Congolese government accusing Rwanda of backing rebel movements and Rwanda citing security concerns along its border. The US move had been seen as an attempt to break that cycle by attaching a firm timeline to demands for a pullback, but the lack of an immediate response on the ground has reinforced skepticism among both displaced civilians and analysts about the leverage external powers can exert.

An uncertain outlook

For the displaced families of Uvira, the expiration of the deadline has translated into renewed anxiety rather than relief. Aid groups operating in the area warn that needs are likely to grow as more people arrive from surrounding villages where security remains precarious. Without a clear political breakthrough, residents say, the most they can hope for is a pause in the fighting long enough to return briefly to their fields. Full repatriation, many acknowledge, remains a distant prospect.

Source: Africanews — read the original report.