UN peacekeepers arrive in Uvira to prepare ceasefire monitoring operations

Uvira, Democratic Republic of Congo, 24 February 2026 – A contingent of United Nations peacekeepers arrived in the city of Uvira in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Tuesday to prepare operations aimed at monitoring a ceasefire in the region.

Eastern DRC has long experienced prolonged conflicts, and recent months have seen renewed fighting. The M23 rebel group captured large areas in the east and launched an attack on Uvira, a strategic city in South Kivu near the border with Burundi, in December 2025. The attack drew widespread international condemnation.

Under a prior agreement, MONUSCO, the UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC, is authorized to carry out ground-based monitoring operations to support the implementation of a lasting ceasefire.

On Tuesday, MONUSCO, together with the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), dispatched a preliminary reconnaissance and assessment mission to Uvira. The operation, which will continue until Friday, is focused on evaluating the site, security conditions, available resources, and cooperation needs.

MONUSCO described the mission as “an important step toward implementing a coordinated approach to monitor future ceasefires” and to help stabilize the region.

In January, M23 forces withdrew from Uvira, reportedly responding to a request from the United States. Congolese government forces have since reoccupied the city.

The arrival of UN peacekeepers is intended to ensure that the ceasefire is properly monitored and to prevent any new flare-ups of violence in the strategically important eastern DRC region.