At least 330 Congolese refugees have returned to their country after fighting eased in Kamanyola, South Kivu, the Ministry of Emergency Management said on Sunday, December 7.
The New Times reported that Rwandan authorities had received up to 1,083 refugees who fled fighting between the AFC/M23 rebels and the Congolese government coalition in Kamanyola area since December 3.
Some of the refugees started to return to their homes on Saturday after the reports said the town had been secured by the rebels, who already control swathes of territory in South and North Kivu provinces.
Fighting has continued in other parts of South Kivu towards Uvira city, with the rebels saying the Burundian army is leading the offensive by the Congolese government coalition.
The Burundian forces are accused of coordinating the airstrikes that killed at least 23 civilians in Kamanyola, a border town that had been under the rebels’ control since February.
Rwandan officials at the Bugarama-Kamanyola border post had not reported any new refugees by Sunday evening.
The remaining refugees are hosted at Nyarushishi Transit Camp in Rusizi District, where they are given humanitarian support and medical assistance. Hundreds of children were vaccinated against polio.
The fighting resumed one day after the singing of “ Washington Peace Accords” between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC( and the Republic of Rwanda on 4 December 2025, which include a clause of immediate cease fire.
Separately, UNICEF on Friday 5, December 2025 called on warring parties to immediately halt attacks on schools after seven children were allegedly killed and others injured in an assault on three schools in the South Kivu province.
“We are deeply troubled by reports that children have allegedly been killed after bombs hit their schools in South Kivu. Attacks on schools are a grave violation against children. Schools must remain protected spaces and sanctuaries of peace where children are safe from harm,” said John Agbor, UNICEF representative in Congo.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday welcomed the signing of the US-brokered peace and economic agreement between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, calling the development an important step toward “restoring trust” and advancing stability in the region.
“The Secretary-General welcomes the official signing, on 4 December, in Washington, D.C., of the Washington accords for peace and prosperity between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, under the facilitation of the United States of America,” said a statement by Guterres’ spokesperson Stephane Dujarric.
Noting that Guterres “commends President Donald J. Trump for his efforts and congratulates Presidents Felix Tshisekedi and Paul Kagame on this important milestone,” Dujarric said the UN chief “underscores that these agreements represent a critical step towards restoring trust between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda and in advancing efforts for lasting peace in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.”
