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The president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Felix Tshisekedi, has accused Rwanda of violating a newly signed US-brokered peace deal, as the Kigali-backed M23 armed group pressed ahead with a rapid advance on a town near the border with Burundi.

Tshisekedi told lawmakers on Monday that Rwandan forces had carried out attacks in several locations in South Kivu province in the days since he and his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, signed a peace accord in Washington, DC on December 4, aimed at ending years of conflict.

“Despite our good faith and the recently ratified agreement, it is clear that Rwanda is already violating its commitments,” Tshisekedi alleged, claiming that the Rwandan army had carried out and supported attacks with heavy weaponry “on the very day after the signing”.

There was no immediate comment by Rwanda. The Anadolu news agency cited Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe as calling similar accusations against the Rwandan army “ridiculous” and an attempt to shift blame.

Rwanda denies backing M23, but says it faces a threat from armed groups with links to the 1994 Rwandan genocide present in eastern DRC.

Thursday’s signing of the accord, which saw both sides reaffirm their commitment to a United States- and Qatar-brokered agreement reached in June, was hailed by US President Donald Trump as a new chapter for the region, even as fighting continued.

“It is an amazing day: Great day for Africa, great day for the world and for these two countries,” Trump said at the time.

Clashes near Burundi border

In eastern DRC, the M23 armed group has been advancing on the town of Uvira near the border with Burundi, the last major urban centre in South Kivu province yet to fall to the group, the AFP news agency reported.

Quoting local and military sources, the agency reported that hundreds of Congolese and allied Burundian troops had sought refuge inside Burundi amid the group’s advance.

Recent clashes were also reported near Luvungi, a settlement about 60km (40 miles) north of Uvira. Quoting residents, the Reuters news agency reported that M23 fighters had seized the village.

Fighting was also reported in the nearby town of Sange, situated between Uvira and Luvungi, with Reuters reporting that as many as 36 people were killed in apparent bomb or grenade attacks.

On Monday, Burundi’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned what it said was an attack by Rwanda on its soil near Cibitoke, a town bordering Rwanda and the DRC, which had wounded two people, including a 12-year-old child.

Reporting from Goma, the biggest city in eastern DRC, Al Jazeera’s Alain Uaykani said tensions were high as M23 advanced on Uvira.

He said the DRC had been concentrating military resources in the area preceding months to try to ward off any advance.

“But this could not stop the advance of M23,” he said, adding that “disorganisation” between the DRC’s military and its allies was adding to the challenges of defending against the group.

Washington ‘deeply concerned’

The US State Department said it was “deeply concerned by the ongoing violence in eastern DRC”.

“Rwanda, which continues to provide support to M23, must prevent further escalation,” a spokesperson said.

A senior Trump administration official told Reuters that the US was monitoring the situation “including areas where actions on the ground do not yet align with the commitments made”. The official said the administration was working with both sides, and that Trump had made clear he was “expecting immediate results”.

While Trump hailed the “miracle” agreement signed on Thursday, which includes an economic component intended to secure US supplies of critical minerals, observers were sceptical that it would bring peace.

Florida’s governor has designated the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) a “foreign terrorist organisation”.

Ron DeSantis posted his executive order to list the United States-based Muslim civil rights and advocacy group on social media on Monday.

The move follows a similar declaration by the Republican governor of Texas last month. CAIR has rejected the labelling by both states and mounted legal challenges.

In a separate post, DeSantis asserted that the Florida Legislature is “crafting legislation to stop the creep of Sharia law, and I hope that they codify these protections for Floridians against CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood in their legislation”.

The designation, which triggers heightened oversight by state law enforcement agencies and establishes financial and operational restrictions, was also declared against the Muslim Brotherhood.

DeSantis’s order asserted that CAIR was “founded by persons connected to the Muslim Brotherhood”, which, without offering evidence, the governor asserted was attempting to establish “a world-wide Islamic caliphate” and has direct links to Hamas.

The order instructs Florida agencies to prevent the two groups and those who have provided them with material support from receiving contracts, employment and funds from a state executive or cabinet agency.

Neither CAIR nor the Muslim Brotherhood is designated as a foreign terrorist organisation by the US government.

However, President Donald Trump has ordered the start of a process to label the branches of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan as “terrorist” organisations, citing their alleged support for Hamas.

CAIR’s Florida chapter told The Associated Press news agency that it plans to sue DeSantis in response to what it called an “unconstitutional” and “defamatory” proclamation.

The group accused the Florida governor of serving foreign interests and lashing out at CAIR due to its civil rights work.

“From the moment Ron DeSantis took office as Florida governor, he has prioritised serving the Israeli government over serving the people of Florida,” CAIR and its Florida chapter said in a statement.

“He hosted his very first official cabinet meeting in Israel. He diverted millions in Florida taxpayer dollars to the Israeli government’s bonds. He threatened to shut down every Florida college’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter, only to back off when CAIR sued him in federal court.”

Founded in 1994, CAIR has 25 chapters around the country. Last month, it asked a federal judge to strike down the designation declared against it by Texas Governor Greg Abbott.

In a lawsuit, CAIR said Abbott’s move was “not only contrary to the United States Constitution, but finds no support in any Texas law”.

On Monday, it said DeSantis and Abbott are both “Israel First politicians” and asserted that their designations are intended to silence American Muslims critical of US support for Israeli war crimes.