M23 Counteroffensive Shakes Congo’s South Kivu Hills

Rio Times · Africa

M23 rebels have launched a counteroffensive in Kalehe territory, in the northern hills of South Kivu, and heavy fighting with pro-government forces is still under way. The rebel push has reversed most of the gains the Congolese army claimed in the area earlier this month, according to the Critical Threats Congo War Security Review of 28 August.

M23, formally the March 23 Movement, is a Congolese rebel group that says it defends ethnic Tutsi communities and that, with its Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC) partner, has held the region’s two main cities, Goma and Bukavu, since early 2025.

Where the Fighting Is

The clashes are concentrated in the Ziralo groupement of Kalehe’s Buhavu chiefdom, in the highlands west of Lake Kivu. Local civil society and administrative sources told Kivu Morning Post that AFC/M23 fighters seized Ku Kivocat/Katenderi, Tushunguti, Matutira and Mutale in mid-August, plus the village of Kashihe in the neighboring Mubuku groupement.

Radio Okapi reported heavy artillery fire around Kusisa, on the Igali axis. The fighting has also spilled north into the Ufamandu I groupement of southern Masisi, across the provincial line in North Kivu, around the localities of Remeka and Kashovu.

Civil society groups warn that a further rebel advance could threaten Wazalendo militia positions along the Mianda-Lulere-Kalamo axis. That would open the way deeper into Kalehe’s interior.

Who Is Fighting Whom

The pro-government side is the Congolese army, the FARDC, fighting alongside Wazalendo militias, whose name means “patriots” in Swahili. In early August this coalition went on the offensive and claimed the localities of Chambombo, Shanje, Lumbishi, Kavumu-Luzirantaka and Numbi.

The M23 counterattack came days later, around 15 to 18 August. Local sources told Radio Okapi the rebels retook control of much of the Ziralo area, undoing the army’s claimed gains.

Civilians Pay the Price

At least four people, among them a mother and her two children, were killed as clashes intensified around Kusisa in mid-August, Radio Okapi reported, citing local sources. Four Congolese soldiers were also wounded.

A week earlier, the army said M23 shelling killed three civilians, including a woman and her two children, in the village of Bunje. The rebels did not comment on that accusation.

Hundreds of families have fled toward neighboring Masisi, and villages on both sides of the front line are emptying. The United Nations says South Kivu was Congo’s biggest displacement hotspot in July, with some 55,500 households newly uprooted, and Kalehe was among the worst-hit territories.

The Wider War

M23 swept through eastern Congo in early 2025, taking Goma in January and Bukavu in February. It still holds both cities and runs parallel administrations there, while fighting burns on across Masisi, Rutshuru and Walikale in North Kivu and in the highlands of Fizi and Mwenga further south.

Government forces re-entered the strategic lakeside city of Uvira in January, after the rebels withdrew under international pressure. It remains the government’s most significant territorial recovery of the war.

Peace Tracks Move Slowly

The Doha process produced a framework peace deal in November and terms for a ceasefire monitoring mechanism on 2 February, with a first UN verification mission deploying to Uvira. But implementation is partial, and fresh bombardments were reported on 24 August at Nyaruhinga, near Minembwe, days before a verification mission was expected in the area.

The United States hosts a separate track between Congo and Rwanda. Washington has demanded that M23 meet its Doha obligations, including pulling back from Uvira.

At home, President Felix Tshisekedi launched a three-month national dialogue on 27 August. His conditions bar groups that fight the state by arms, hold territory or act for a foreign power, which effectively shuts out the AFC/M23, and he ruled out any general amnesty for war crimes.

Rwanda’s Role

UN Security Council Resolution 2808, adopted in December, says M23 operates “with the direct support and participation of the Rwanda Defence Forces”. UN expert panels have documented Rwandan troop deployments and support to the rebels for years.

Kigali denies backing M23 and says its security concerns stem from the FDLR, a Rwandan Hutu militia based in eastern Congo. The Congolese government calls the rebellion a Rwandan aggression.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is M23?

M23, the March 23 Movement, is a Congolese rebel group that says it defends ethnic Tutsi communities. With its AFC alliance it has held Goma and Bukavu, eastern Congo’s two biggest cities, since early 2025.

Where exactly is the new fighting?

In the Ziralo groupement of Kalehe territory, in northern South Kivu, with spillover into southern Masisi in North Kivu. Villages including Tushunguti, Matutira, Mutale and Kashihe changed hands in mid-August.

Is there a peace process?

Yes, but it is fragile. The Doha talks produced a ceasefire monitoring mechanism in February, the US mediates between Congo and Rwanda, and Kinshasa opened a national dialogue on 27 August, yet fighting has never fully stopped.

Sources: Critical Threats – Congo War Security Review, 28 August 2026, Radio Okapi – clashes at Kusisa, Kalehe, Radio Okapi – M23 counteroffensive and displacement, Kivu Morning Post – AFC/M23 retakes localities in Kalehe, ReliefWeb – July 2026 displacement report, Reuters – UN ceasefire monitoring mission to Uvira

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