Timeline of the M23 campaign (2025)

This timeline of the M23 campaign (2022–present) covers the period from late-April 2025 to the present day.

Secretary Marco Rubio presiding over a Declaration of Principles signing ceremony with Congolese Foreign Minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner and Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on 25 April 2025

On 30 April 2025, Congolese Justice Minister publicly declared in Kinshasa that he had procured "tangible evidence" implicating Joseph Kabila in collusion with M23 and accused him of treason, war crimes, and massacres of civilians and soldiers. He added that judicial proceedings await Senate approval to prosecute Kabila and seize his assets as a precaution.^[1] In response, Kabila, Moïse Katumbi, Martin Fayulu, and Delly Sesanga issued a joint communiqué calling for an inclusive national dialogue, supported by both the Conférence Épiscopale Nationale du Congo (CENCO) and the Église du Christ au Congo (ECC), and appealed for international engagement in the peace process.^[1] While welcoming the United States and Qatari peace efforts, they argued these alone were insufficient for lasting peace and emphasized the need for broad Congolese participation.^[1] They also raised concerns about a possible U.S.–DRC minerals deal, demanding full transparency, and called for the withdrawal of all foreign fighters and the return of displaced persons.^[1] Meanwhile, Massad Boulos, Senior Advisor for Africa to U.S. President Donald Trump, informed Reuters that France, Qatar, Togo, and the United States had established a joint security mechanism to monitor progress in both the DRC and Rwanda toward implementing a peace agreement grounded in the Declaration of Principles signed on 25 April.^[2] Boulos stated that finalizing U.S.–DRC and U.S.–Rwanda economic agreements is a precondition for signing the broader peace deal.^[2] He noted that significant investment interest from Western firms—estimated in the billions of U.S. dollars—depended on the ratification of these agreements.^[2] Boulos also reiterated that peace requires Rwanda's military withdrawal and the severance of its support for M23, while the DRC must respond to Rwanda's security concerns regarding anti-Rwandan militias. These conditions were expected to be resolved before the provisional peace agreement scheduled for signing on 2 May.^[2]

On 1 May, armed clashes erupted between the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) and Wazalendo in the city of Uvira. Hostilities commenced around 05:00 in the Kasenga neighborhood and quickly extended to Kakombe and surrounding hill areas.^[3] The outbreak of violence reportedly stemmed from a dispute over FARDC troop deployments to strategic high ground near existing Wazalendo positions.^[1][3] The FARDC intensified its military presence as intermittent gunfire persisted into the late morning.^[3]

On 2 May, Wazalendo launched a surprise attack on M23 in Kashovu, a village within the Bahunde Chiefdom in Masisi Territory, situated approximately 26 miles south of the mineral-rich town of Rubaya.^[4][5] They briefly drove out M23 rebels before being pushed back by a counteroffensive.^[4] The escalation of violence severely disrupted local mobility and incited widespread panic, effectively immobilizing residents, many of whom remained confined within their homes as the clashes spread across neighboring villages.^[4] That same day in Kinshasa, Prime Minister Judith Suminwa welcomed Congolese the first group of Congolese military and police personnel, along with their families, who had sought refuge in United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) compounds in Goma following the January M23 incursion into the city.^[6] Meanwhile, in Lubero Territory, M23 and Rwandan forces seized Lunyasenge, a town on Lake Edward's western shore, advancing both by land—from Vutsumbi and Kamandi Gite—and across the lake.^[7] Lunyasenge, a key fishing point four hours by boat from Kyavinyonge, sits along vital routes toward Butembo, Beni Territory, and the Uganda border via Kasindi-Lubiriha.^[7] Heavy clashes with FARDC followed, and images posted online showed FARDC casualties. The exact death toll remains indeterminate, but the town's capture triggered a significant civilian displacement.^[7]

On 3 May, FARDC officers deployed to Kyavinyonge to coordinate a counter-response as residents evacuated fisheries including Musenda and Kisaka, fleeing toward Kyavinyonge, Mubana, or Kasindi.^[7] Joël Vyalengekanya, who leads the Union of Shipowners, Individual Fishermen, and Environmentalists of Kyavinyonge, reported that the Ugandan navy intercepted nearly 70 Congolese fishermen and seized more than 200 canoe engines in recent months.^[7]

On 4 May, South African Minister of Defence Thandi Modise, accompanied by General Rudzani Maphwanya, Chief of Staff of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), officially initiated the withdrawal of South African troops from the DRC.^[8] This action marked the beginning of the drawdown of forces deployed under the Southern African Development Community Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (SAMIDRC).^[8] In Lubero Territory, FARDC spokesperson Colonel Mak Hazukay confirmed Lunyasenge's fall, condemning it as a "flagrant violation of the ceasefire", and cautioned that FARDC may retaliate if the rebels and their alleged Rwandan allies keep advancing.^[7] Meanwhile, heavy fighting erupted in Bwito Chiefdom—Lubwe Sud, Businene, Kabizo, and Mutanga—between CMC/FDP-affiliated Wazalendo groups and M23 fighters. Some reports said Wazalendo forces managed to repel the M23, though both parties incurred losses, and the exact number of casualties remains unconfirmed.^[9]

On 5 May, M23 retook Kabizo, a town it had abandoned five to six months earlier.^[9] In Rutshuru Territory, M23 and RDF control key areas like Nroroba and parts of Tongo groupement, including the strategic Kanaba-Mulimbi axis linking Tongo and Kitshanga, while Wazalendo holds Bambo groupement.^[9] The same day, the DRC and Rwanda submitted a draft peace proposal under the Washington-led Declaration of Principles.^[10][11][12] Boulos welcomed the step as progress toward peace.^[10][11][12] Meanwhile, Wazalendo launched surprise attacks on M23 in Katogota and Kamanyola, triggering clashes that lasted eight hours in Rutebe, Kayange, and Luzinzi, leaving casualties on both sides and injuring civilians.^[13] In Bwito Chiefdom, a mishandled rocket by a local fighter exploded in a market in Bambo groupement, killing four people—including two women and a child—and injuring several others.^[14]

On 6 May, M23 forces captured Luciga village in the mineral-rich Luhwinja Chiefdom, within Mwenga Territory, where Canadian-owned BANRO once operated before being acquired by Chinese-aligned corporations.^[15][16] The advance followed a brief clash in Lwashanja village, which M23 overtook before proceeding into Luciga. They then maneuvered toward BANRO's operational zones while simultaneously encircling the broader territory via Ngando and Chihumba-Kashanga, using Mparanyi as an entry point.^[15] Reports suggest that M23 militants dispersed into various villages, occupying four groupements—Luchiga, Kabalole, Luduha, and Idudwe—and received logistical reinforcements and arms shipments.^[15] Observers later sighted M23 units near the Twangiza mining site in Luchiga, having crossed the Lulimbohwe River to Buhamba, situated fewer than five kilometers from the processing facility.^[15] Luhwinja Chiefdom eventually fell with little resistance, marking M23's first foothold in Mwenga Territory after two days of fighting Wazalendo.^[17][18]

On 8 May, Twangiza Mining halted operations due to the rebel presence.^[19][20] That day, ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric Egger concluded her first official visit to the DRC, meeting with senior officials in Kinshasa to discuss humanitarian challenges and the logistical transfer of hundreds of unarmed FARDC and Congolese National Police (PNC) personnel and their families from Goma to the capital.^[21]

On 9 May, Togolese president of the Council of Ministers Faure Gnassingbé met with a Qatari delegation to strengthen bilateral ties and mediate the Rwanda-DRC crisis.^[22] In Entebbe, Congolese Deputy Prime Minister Vital Kamerhe met with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni to discuss eastern DRC's security, as part of a broader parliamentary mission focused on regional cooperation.^[23] In Kinshasa, the European Union's ambassador to the DRC Nicolás Berlanga-Martinez reaffirmed support for peace efforts and stressed the need for monitoring mechanisms. He also addressed EU-DRC partnerships, noting the DRC's right to explore ties with other nations, including the U.S.^[24]

On 10 May, violence escalated in Goma: Shagali Rushingwa was fatally shot in his home in Ndosho; two additional corpses were found in Kyeshero and Himbi; six people were wounded by gunfire in Katoyi and Mabanga North; and three decomposed corpses were discovered in a pit between Kasika and Mabanga Sud, showing signs of murder under unclear circumstances.^[25][26]