| Butembo offensive | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theM23 campaign | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Rwanda (Congolese claim) |  DR Congo Uganda | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Corneille Nangaa[6] Sultani Makenga[7] | Evariste Somo[8] (Military governor of North Kivu) | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
| M23 forces | FARDC UPDF[9] Wazalendo[10] | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown | 4,000-5,000 troops[11] | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | 6-10 Wazalendo militiamen killed[12][13][14] (friendly fire) | ||||||
The2025 Butembo offensive is an ongoing military operation conducted byMarch 23 Movement rebels in the easternDemocratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), with the goal of advancing towards and capturing the city ofButembo, 130 miles north ofGoma. The military campaign followed the M23capture ofBukavu, the provincial capital ofSouth Kivu, occurring concurrently withadvances towardsUvira in the neighboringSouth Kivu province.[15]
After the M23's seizure of Bukavu, the provincial capital ofSouth Kivu province, the M23 began attacks towards Butembo, the third largest city inNorth Kivu.[16]
In light of the recent M23 offensives, and due to increasing attacks by theAllied Democratic Forces (ADF) militia on communities in the area,Uganda sent troops into the eastern DRC and took control of the city ofBunia, capital of theIturi province. It is located north of Butembo.[17] Their entry into the country was approved by the Congolese government.[11]
At around 4:00 am on February 18, M23 and the RDF renewed offensives towardsLubero, a town in the region and a gateway to Butembo. M23 and RDF forces launched multiple attacks on entrenched FARDC positions on the strategic highlands of Vutsorovya, Alimbongo, Tchulo, and Mambasa, which are adjacent toNational Road No.2, which is on route to Lubero andButembo.[18] Following these clashes, deserters of the FARDC have been reportedlooting Lubero, with civilians reporting bursts of gunfire and looting at the central market.[19]
M23 captured the town of Kipese on February 20 while flanking FARDC positions along the RN2 road and in the capital of theLubero Territory.[20] On February 23, the FARDC stopped the M23 advance south of Lubero and east of the RN2 road, and prevented them from capturing Kasinjwe with the assistance of pro-government militias.[21] On February 27 fighting broke out between M23 and government forces in Vunyakondomi village, located roughly half way between Kipese and Kasinjwe, as M23 continued with its attempt to flank the FARDC positions around Lubero.[20]
An FARDC military court sentenced to death 55 soldiers in Lubero on February 28 for desertion and committing violent crimes, while several others were given prison sentences.[22]
M23 moved westward and captured the village of Kasugho, located southwest of Lubero, from FARDC and pro-government militias on March 2.[23] Ten members of the Wazalendo militia in the city of Butembo were reported killed on March 4 during infighting among two factions.[24] TheUgandan People's Defence Force blocked M23 from advancing in the direction of Lubero from the town of Kagheri, and they withdrew to Kasugho.[25]
The United States has called on Rwanda to withdraw its forces from the DRC and sanctioned a M23 spokesperson as part of their pressure campaign.[26]
TheUnited Nations under-secretary-general for peacekeeping operations,Jean-Pierre Lacroix, visited the city ofBeni on 1 March, where he met with military governor, Maj. Gen. Evariste Somo. They spoke about the "catastrophic consequences" of the M23 uprising on the humanitarian situation in theKivu region and the need to obtain a ceasefire in accordance withUnited Nations Security Council Resolution 2773. Somo noted that the UN'sMONUSCO mission is an important strategic partner of the DRC and expressed willingness to work to with it to alleviate the humanitarian and security situation.[27]
