Uvira : 5 dead and several injured in a protest against General Olivier Gasita

SOS Médias Burundi

Bukavu, September 8, 2025 — Violent clashes erupted on Monday in the city of Uvira (South Kivu) during a protest against the presence of Brigadier General Olivier Gasita. According to local sources, at least 5 people were killed and around 20 others injured, several seriously, after FARDC (Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo) fired shots to disperse the protesters.

Organized by members of the civil society and supported by the Wazalendo—local militias backed by the Congolese authorities—the march took place in a climate of great tension. The protesters, mostly from the Kavimvira and Kalundu neighborhoods, demanded the immediate resignation of General Gasita, recently appointed to Uvira as head of operations and military intelligence within the 33rd military region.

After a rally in front of the town hall and the presentation of a memorandum, part of the crowd headed to the FARDC headquarters in the Sokola 2 sector, where the situation escalated.

“The FARDC fired live ammunition. It was total chaos,” said a protester reached by telephone.

A still unclear death toll

Civilian sources : 5 dead, more than 9 injured

Official FARDC version : one 12-year-old child killed by a stray bullet, 9 injured (including 4 soldiers and 5 civilians)

Second Lieutenant Reagan Kalonji, spokesperson for the Sokola 2 South Operational Sector in South Kivu, confirmed the clashes but accused a “minority of uncontrolled demonstrators” of attempting to force their way into the military base.

“The FARDC received the memorandum peacefully, but the unrest came from infiltrators who wanted to provoke unrest,” he said.

General Gasita at the heart of tensions

Arriving in Uvira on September 1, 2025, General Olivier Gasita, of Banyamulenge (Congolese Tutsi) origin, is accused by his detractors of :

Being close to Rwanda, through alleged links with the M23 armed group

Playing a role in the fall of Bukavu, which fell into the hands of the M23 earlier this year

These accusations, although unproven, have rekindled already high ethnic tensions in the region. The protesters clearly expressed their rejection of a Tutsi leadership in a highly sensitive border area.

Uvira at a standstill : total paralysis for a week

Since September 2, the city of Uvira has been completely paralyzed. A general strike has paralyzed all activities : schools, markets, banks, transportation.

“We no longer have enough to live on.” “I haven’t been able to sell my fruits for a week,” says a resident of the Kabindula neighborhood.

At night, Uvira lives in fear : explosions, gunfire, and targeted violence. A 5-year-old child died in an explosion during the night of September 6-7.

Ethnic drift and violence against the Banyamulenge

Testimonies and local NGOs report a worrying increase in targeted violence against the Banyamulenge community :

Battered women

Denial of access to water

Kidnappings of Banyamulenge security force members (1 FARDC Soldier and 1 police officer)

In a statement, the Banyamulenge Mutual Association denounced a hate campaign, which it said was fueled by xenophobic rhetoric and false accusations.

Burundian military presence : a complex regional game

General Gasita is currently secluded in a hotel in Uvira, under heavy protection provided by the FARDC and Burundian soldiers.
Indeed, Burundi has deployed approximately 10,000 soldiers to eastern DRC to support the Congolese army and its allied militias in the fight against the M23 and rebel groups in the Kivus.

Tshisekedi calls for calm

President Félix Tshisekedi has repeatedly attempted to calm tensions, calling for the Rwandan-speaking population not to be confused with the Kigali regime. But these messages are struggling to be heard in a region where anger, fear, and ethnic hatred are constantly rising.

A powder keg under pressure

Uvira is now the nerve center of South Kivu, since the fall of Bukavu. Strategically located near Bujumbura, Burundi’s commercial capital, it is also a vital transit point for Burundian fuel.

With ethnic tensions, a simmering regional war, and a population at its wit’s end, Uvira is becoming a barometer of chaos in eastern Congo.