"Hundreds of Uvira residents in the Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) South Kivu marched to the town hall on Tuesday to protest the AFC/M23 withdrawal, as the US urged the militants to leave the city to uphold the Washington peace deal. Footage shows protesters taking to the streets with signs and banners, chanting before convening outside the town hall. "We are demonstrating to express our support for the AFC/M23 movement [...] They came to liberate us, and their way of governing is appreciated by many Congolese," a protester remarked. "Let it not leave, because we have gone through a very difficult period. At my place, there were burglaries almost every day, gunfire, and my belongings were looted," another added. Others criticised the US for its 'influence', emphasising that the Congolese people are 'an independent country'. "We are Congolese, and we are an independent country. They cannot decide that we continue to suffer, that our mothers continue to be raped, and that we live like slaves in our own country," a demonstrator said. Under the Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity, endorsed by US President Donald Trump, the DRC and Rwanda pledged to halt hostilities and end support for armed groups. Within a week of the signing, however, M23 forces reportedly advanced into Uvira, the last government-held city in the mineral-rich east. While some expressed support for the presence of M23 in the town, thousands have reportedly fled to Burundi due to the resurgent violence in eastern DRC. Burundi, an ally of the DRC, accuses neighbouring Rwanda of supporting the M23 — an allegation repeatedly denied by Kigali. M23 is not a participant in the Washington-mediated negotiations but has been engaged in distinct, parallel discussions with the Congolese government, facilitated by Qatar."