The Rwandan-backed rebel group AFC/M23 withdrew this weekend from several strategic positions in South Kivu province in eastern Congo, the Congolese army and a rebel official said Monday, marking the first significant shift on the battlefield in months.
This withdrawal follows military pressure exerted by the Congolese army and diplomatic pressure from Washington, a Congolese army spokesman told Reuters.
This is the first significant movement on the front line since the rebels briefly seized the city of Uvira in December before withdrawing under US pressure. It comes two weeks after the United States imposed sanctions on former president Joseph Kabila for his alleged ties to the AFC/M23, allegations he denies.
The rebels retreated from Kabunambo, about 35 kilometers north of Uvira, towards Luvungi, about 30 kilometers further north towards the provincial capital Bukavu, where they were stationed before their advance on Uvira, the two sources indicated.
Congolese families who fled last year's violence to seek refuge in neighboring Burundi have begun returning home, a civil society official in Uvira told Reuters.
Fighting continued in eastern Congo despite mediation efforts led by the United States and other international actors.
In a letter addressed to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, dated May 7 and released to the media this weekend, the political coordinator of the AFC/M23, Corneille Nangaa, accused the United States of lacking credibility as a mediator, after signing a major mining partnership agreement with Kinshasa last year.
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.
Rwanda has denied accusations by the United Nations and Western governments that it supports the insurgents.
