The United Kingdom used today’s UN Security Council meeting to welcome recent diplomatic steps and to condemn the reported M23 offensive in South Kivu, including the takeover of Uvira. London urged an immediate cessation of hostilities, full compliance with Resolution 2773, protection of civilians, and removal of obstacles to MONUSCO operations. It also signalled support for a MONUSCO role in ceasefire monitoring to consolidate political progress.
Two political tracks frame the current push for de‑escalation. First, the Washington Accords, signed in Washington on 4 December, set out state‑to‑state commitments between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda under US facilitation. Second, the Doha Framework Agreement, signed on 15 November under Qatari mediation with M23/Congo River Alliance, provides an eight‑protocol blueprint covering detainee releases and ceasefire verification mechanisms to be negotiated and implemented in sequence.
Field reporting this week indicates that M23 units moved into Uvira and claimed control, following advances around Luvungi; Burundi has disputed aspects of the capture claim. The UK attributed the offensive to support from the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF), a charge Rwanda denies. The immediate concern is displacement toward Burundi and disruption to services in Uvira.
Resolution 2773, adopted unanimously on 21 February 2025, is the operative baseline. It demands that M23 cease hostilities, withdraw from occupied areas and dismantle parallel administrations; calls on the Rwanda Defence Force to end support to M23 and withdraw from DRC territory; urges Kinshasa to halt any support to FDLR; and presses all parties to open temporary humanitarian corridors in North and South Kivu. It reaffirms full support for MONUSCO and rejects obstruction of its mandate.
Humanitarian indicators are deteriorating rapidly. UN briefings this week cited 25,000 people crossing into Burundi between 5 and 8 December, with subsequent updates indicating totals approaching 40,000 by 11 December; earlier this year UNHCR reported large inflows driven by M23 advances. Conditions at transit sites in Kansega, Cishemere and Gatumba are reported as precarious, with shelter, water and food shortfalls.
The UK highlighted testimony from Médecins Sans Frontières on conflict‑related sexual violence and called for adherence to international humanitarian law. Independent reporting in 2025 has documented grave abuses by multiple parties, including M23 and pro‑government Wazalendo militias: killings, forced recruitment of children and widespread sexual violence. These findings underline the need for accountability provisions alongside any ceasefire.
Ceasefire verification architecture already exists on paper. A Doha‑track agreement of 14 October established a monitoring body comprising the DRC, M23 and the ICGLR, with MONUSCO to provide logistical support and the AU, Qatar and the US participating as observers. MONUSCO has also told the Council it can repurpose surveillance assets for real‑time observation to strengthen verification.
Operational constraints remain severe. The UN has reported that movement restrictions imposed by M23 - from roadblocks to airspace closures - have hampered MONUSCO’s rotations, delayed supplies and complicated aid delivery around Goma and other areas. The UK’s call to lift all obstructions aligns with the mission’s protection‑of‑civilians mandate and with Council messaging throughout 2025.
London’s statement is consistent with positions it has taken through the year: demanding an unconditional ceasefire, RDF withdrawal from Congolese territory, compliance with Resolution 2773, and continued support to MONUSCO and humanitarian operations. Today’s intervention restates those points while linking them to the Washington and Doha tracks.
For practitioners, the near‑term tests are clear: verifiable compliance with Resolution 2773; unimpeded movement for MONUSCO and the ceasefire monitoring mechanism; and safe humanitarian access within South Kivu and across the Burundi frontier. The UK signalled backing for each, anchoring its approach in Security Council decisions and on‑the‑ground protection needs.