South Kivu in flames : Widespread clashes between M23, FARDC, and Burundian troops two days before a peace agreement in Washington

SOS Médias Burundi

Bukavu, December 2, 2025 – On the Burundi-DRC border, as well as in several localities in South Kivu, heavy gunfire shook the Ruzizi Plain and the hills of Katogota, Kamanyola, Kaziba, and Lubarika on Tuesday. Civilians wounded, fighters fleeing, houses burned, mass displacement : 48 hours before the announced signing of a peace agreement between Félix Tshisekedi and Paul Kagame in Washington, the front is ablaze once again.

Heavy gunfire on the Burundi-Congo border : panic in Rukana and Kamanyola

On Tuesday morning, December 2, violent clashes erupted near the Rusizi River, which separates the DRC from Burundi, pitting the M23 movement against Burundian and Congolese forces, as well as Wazalendo militias. The sounds of heavy weapons fire woke residents of Rukana, in the Cibitoke district of Bujumbura province, western Burundi.

The exchange of fire was concentrated around Katogota, opposite Kamanyola, where Burundian, Congolese, and Wazalendo positions are facing off against M23 fighters. The provisional toll reports five civilians wounded, including three children injured in their homes by shrapnel.

Fighters pushed back at the border

During the fighting, several Burundian soldiers crossed the Rusizi River to take refuge in Gatoki village, also in Rukana. The Burundian army prevented them from advancing further, confining them to the riverbank before escorting them back to their positions.

“We fled because the M23 has equipment we don’t have. We pray that this war ends,” one of them confided.

The population sheltering in their homes

The inhabitants of Kamanyola, Itara-Luvungi, and Katogota remained holed up in their homes, while fear spread through the villages on both sides of the border.

Walungu, Uvira, Kaziba : South Kivu ablaze

In the territories of Walungu and Uvira, fighting began at dawn. Clashes are taking place between the AFC/M23 and its allies and a coalition of FARDC (Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo), Wazalendo (Burundi National Liberation Front), and fighters from the FDLR (Forces for thr Liberation of Rwanda), a Rwandan Hutu group accused of participating in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi.

“Since 5:30 a.m., there has been non-stop shooting in Kamanyola, Katogota, Nyangezi, and Kaziba. Schools and economic activity are paralyzed,” reports a civil society representative.

Houses burned and wounded persons

According to local sources, houses have been burned in the Butuzi area, in Ngando, Mwera, and Muhumba. Injuries have been reported in Karembo. The clashes have also spread toward Karimbirwa.

Villagers fleeing

Residents of Lubarika, Luvungi, and Katogota have abandoned their fields and begun fleeing into the interior of the country.

“Residents are turning back in the face of the intense fighting. Entire families are fleeing their villages in haste,” says the civil society.

Fall of Lubarika

The strategic town of Lubarika fell to the rebels on Tuesday afternoon, several local sources confirmed to SOS Médias Burundi. Loyalist forces, already weakened by several days of clashes, were unable to contain the rebel advance, which aimed to secure key roads in the area.

Massive deployment of troops

In Kamanyola, witnesses reported seeing hundreds of soldiers, accompanied by armored vehicles and heavy weaponry, pass through overnight.

They reportedly established positions in the highlands of the parish, in Karimbirwa, and in the direction of Kamonyi-Lubarika, while other units advanced toward the Kalunga Mountains.

Conflicting accusations regarding the origin of the clashes

The FARDC accuses the M23

In a statement, the Congolese army claims that the M23 simultaneously attacked its positions in Lubarika, Katogota, and Kaziba.

The M23 accuses the FARDC-Wazalendo-FDLR-Burundian troops coalition

The rebel movement asserts that its positions were targeted at dawn.

Wazalendo fighters claim the initiative

Some fighters claim to have launched the offensive to “retake Kamanyola.”

Massive destruction and still unknown casualty figures

The use of heavy weapons caused significant damage.

Several houses were destroyed, triggering mass internal displacement.
No precise casualty figures were available at the time of publication.

An Explosive regional context on the eve of a peace agreement in Washington

The surge in violence comes as Kigali and Kinshasa are scheduled to sign a US-mediated peace agreement in Washington on December 4.

The M23, a former Tutsi rebel group that resumed hostilities in late 2021, accuses Kinshasa of failing to uphold the reintegration agreements. Kinshasa, in turn, accuses Rwanda of supporting the rebels.

UN experts—deemed “imposters” by Kigali—claim that approximately 6,000 Rwandan soldiers are deployed in eastern Congo to support the M23.
The Rwandan government categorically rejects these accusations.

The M23 is affiliated with the Congo River Alliance (AFC), led by former CENI (Independent National Electoral Commission) president Corneille Nangaa, who advocates for a “federal state.”

Increased role of Burundi

Burundi has deployed more than 10,000 soldiers in eastern DRC, fighting alongside the FARDC and pro-Kinshasa militias, including the Wazalendo.

New accusations from Kigali

Kigali is now accusing the DRC and Burundi of arming the FDLR, claiming they are receiving uniforms, ammunition, and tactical support.
These accusations have been firmly dismissed by Kinshasa and publicly ignored by Gitega.

Washington under diplomatic
tension

The Burundian and Kenyan presidencies have confirmed the participation of Évariste Ndayishimiye and William Ruto in the Washington meeting. Ruto is perceived as Félix Tshisekedi’s sworn enemy—a factor likely to further strain an already fragile mediation.