Rebels from the March 23 Movement (M23), supported by Rwanda, announced their intention to withdraw from the town of Opira in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) at the request of the U.S. administration. This follows criticism from the U.S. last week regarding control over the town, which was deemed a threat to mediation efforts. The move comes less than a week after a meeting between the DRC and Rwandan presidents with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, where they reaffirmed their commitment to a peace agreement. On Saturday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Rwanda's actions in eastern DRC violate Washington agreements and vowed to "take steps to ensure the promises made to the president are kept."
