Kaburantwa – DRC : Burundian military convoys en route to South Kivu, amid regional tensions and official silence

SOS Médias Burundi

Bujumbura, September 2, 2025 — For three days, heavy Burundian military convoys have been passing through the town of Kaburantwa, in the Cibitoke region of Bujumbura province, northwest Burundi, bound for the Democratic Republic of Congo. The heavily armed soldiers are reportedly deployed to reinforce troops already engaged in the high and middle plateaus of Minembwe, in South Kivu, alongside the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) and Wazalendo militias, against several armed rebel groups.

Since the beginning of the weekend, residents of Kaburantwa village, in the Buganda zone, have been watching with apprehension the parade of at least thirty military trucks loaded with armed men. “They pass every day, heading for the Congolese border,” confided a resident of the 6th avenue.

The soldiers are believed to be from several Burundian garrisons and training centers, including Cishemere and Mudubugu, where heavy weapons fire was recently heard. According to several local sources, these troops also include veterans, members of the Imbonerakure League (the youth wing of the ruling CNDD-FDD party), as well as young recruits trained in the handling of heavy weapons by instructors affiliated with Rwandan rebel groups operating in coordination with the Burundian authorities.

South Kivu mission : between broken promises and fears

A soldier involved in this operation agreed to speak anonymously. He explained that the mission is to reinforce the Burundian troops already active in the heights of Minembwe, alongside the FARDC. The enemies to be faced are numerous : Red Tabara, FNL, Twirwaneho, and even the M23.

But on the ground, enthusiasm is lacking. “We were promised Congolese ID numbers and salaries in dollars. It’s been eight months, and no one has received anything,” laments the soldier. Worse still, several soldiers have reportedly lost their lives, without compensation being paid to their families, according to several accounts.

Concerns among the local population

In Kaburantwa, nervousness is rising. The bridge currently being rehabilitated by a Chinese company is a strategic axis linking Burundi to the DRC. Its militarization raises fears of escalation. “This bridge has become a potential target. And if it falls, the entire region will be cut off,” warns a resident of the Buganda zone.

Silence from the military authorities

Contacted on this matter, the military commander of the Rusizi Valley, in charge of border security, neither confirmed nor denied the movements. He referred SOS Médias Burundi to the spokesperson for the FDNB (Burundi National Defense Force), who declined to comment.

Growing Burundian involvement in the Kivu war

Since 2022, Burundi has officially deployed troops in the DRC, as part of bilateral cooperation with Kinshasa, notably to track down Burundian rebels active in the Congolese forests. But these engagements have expanded : Burundian forces are now participating in fighting against other Congolese groups, including the M23, a Tutsi armed movement accused by Kinshasa of being supported by Rwanda – a claim Kigali firmly denies.

This massive and discreet deployment of Burundian soldiers raises questions about the transparency of the mission, the fate of the soldiers involved, and Burundi’s true geostrategic objectives in an unstable but resource-rich region.

The small east African nation has deployed approximately 10,000 soldiers to eastern Congo to fight alongside the loyalist army of this vast central African country and its allied militias. On several occasions, the head of state, nicknamed Neva, President Ndayishimiye, has justified this intervention by citing good neighborliness and the adage that “you must help your neighbor put out his house so that he can help you when yours catches fire.” To critics who say he has transformed the Burundian army into a mercenary force, General Neva retorts : “They are soldiers; they signed up to die for the nation and follow orders.”

Concerned diplomats and activists

Diplomats and activists, for their part, express serious concerns about this massive military deployment. They denounce the risk of regional escalation and call for greater transparency regarding the real objectives of this Burundian intervention in the DRC. According to them, the increasing militarization of the region only fuels ethnic tensions and compromises the fragile stability of the Kivus, to the detriment of the civilian population already severely affected by years of conflict.