South Kivu : FDNB strengthens its position against the M23 and its Twirwaneho allies

SOS Médias Burundi

Bukavu, October 16, 2025 – Despite the signing of a ceasefire agreement on October 14 in Doha between the Congolese government and the M23 rebel movement, tensions remain high in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Units of the Burundi National Defense Force (FDNB) continue their massive deployment in several strategic areas of South Kivu, particularly in the territories of Fizi, Mwenga, and Uvira.

For several days, military convoys from Burundi have been reported in the towns of Kitoga, Muhuzi, and the dense Itombwe forest. Significant reinforcements have also been observed in Minembwe, Mikalati, Kipupu, and at Point Zero, in the Fizi territory. These movements come as the M23 rebels, who have controlled Bukavu since the beginning of the year, are expanding their presence to other areas in South Kivu.

According to several local sources in Lemera and Muhuzi, the FDNB is seeking to anticipate any rebel offensive and contain a possible M23 advance towards Uvira, a strategic town near the Burundian border.

“Burundian soldiers want to attack Twirwaneho in Mikenge. Sources among the Wazalendo told us that an attack is imminent,” said a resident contacted from Fizi.

According to information gathered by SOS Médias Burundi, approximately 10,000 Burundian soldiers have been deployed in the DRC to fight alongside the FARDC, the Congolese loyalist army, and Wazalendo militias supported by Kinshasa. The stated objective : to weaken the M23, an armed group affiliated with the Congo River Alliance (AFC), a politico-military movement hostile to the Félix Tshisekedi regime.

The M23, composed mainly of former Tutsi rebels, took up arms again at the end of 2021, accusing the Congolese government of failing to respect the reintegration commitments set out in the peace agreements. Since then, its fighters have controlled several strategic and mineral-rich locations in the provinces of North and South Kivu, as well as the capitals of both provinces.

In the region, another armed group is also attracting attention : Twirwaneho, an armed group composed mainly of members of the Banyamulenge community. Active in South Kivu, Twirwaneho is considered an ally of the M23, with which it cooperates militarily in several mountainous areas, particularly around Minembwe and Mikenge.

The Congolese and Burundian governments accuse Rwandan President Paul Kagame of militarily supporting the M23 and seeking to “destabilize the subregion,” accusations that Kigali rejects. The Rwandan head of state, for his part, accuses his counterparts of supporting and arming the FDLR (Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda), a group accused of participating in the genocide against the Tutsi in 1994.

In a statement issued on October 10, the FARDC called on FDLR fighters to lay down their arms and surrender to the Rwandan authorities or to MONUSCO, the UN mission deployed in the DRC.

On the ground, however, troop movements are increasing, and fear is growing among the civilian population. Between the Burundian forces, the FARDC, the M23, the Twirwaneho fighters and the Wazalendo, the war of positions seems far from over, despite Doha’s diplomatic commitments.