Minembwe : M23/Twirwaneho claims victory and accuses the FARDC-FDNB-Wazalendo coalition of retreating after a week of fighting

SOS Médias Burundi

Minembwe, June 19, 2026—Violent clashes raged for nearly a week between Twirwaneho fighters, allied with the AFC-M23 political-military coalition, and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC), supported by the Burundi National Defense Force (FDNB) and the Wazalendo militias backed by Kinshasa, in the highlands of the Fizi and Mwenga territories of South Kivu.

Following the fighting, Twirwaneho/M23 fighters claim to have pushed the government coalition back from several positions around Minembwe, while local and military sources report a withdrawal of the forces involved.

According to local sources, the fighting reached its peak during the week, with the use of heavy weapons, drones, and bombing. The FARDC, the FDNB, and their allies then reportedly withdrew to the towns of Lwiko, Mutunda, and Miko, leaving several outlying positions in Minembwe under the control of Twirwaneho/M23 fighters.

Residents who fled the fighting to Kiziba described scenes of panic and mass displacement of civilians. Several accounts reported bombings that hit inhabited areas, although no independent assessment could be confirmed.

The FARDC had not issued a detailed statement at the time of publication, but local military sources confirmed a strategic repositioning following particularly violent clashes in the Ilundu and Bidegu areas.

Unverified reports from the area also indicate that Burundian soldiers from the FDNB abandoned equipment during their withdrawal to Kakenge (Miko). Casualties have been reported among the FARDC, the FDNB, and the Wazalendo, but no official figures are available.

Claims and victory speeches

On the side of the Twirwaneho/M23 fighters, the tone is one of military victory. They claim to have pushed back government forces and their allies beyond several front lines, consolidating their positions around Minembwe.

Former Congolese national deputy Moïse Nyarugabo hailed what he called a “retreat of the forces engaged against Minembwe.”

“The threat to Minembwe has been eliminated. Despite bombings by Sukhoi jets, drones, and heavy artillery, the forces involved have been pushed back beyond the Lwiko River,” he declared.

According to him, the military operations launched several months ago have failed to provide lasting security in the regularly unstable highlands.

He also accuses the coalition of being responsible for bombings that have caused civilian casualties and massive population displacements.

Accusations surrounding the presence of the FDNB

The presence of the Burundi National Defense Force (FDNB) alongside the FARDC continues to generate controversy in the region.

Some security sources claim that Kinshasa offered Gitega advantages related to mining operations in the Minembwe region and other areas of the Fizi territory in exchange for military support. These allegations have not been confirmed by either the Congolese or Burundian authorities.

Presidents Évariste Ndayishimiye and Félix Tshisekedi have confirmed the existence of a bilateral security cooperation agreement allowing Burundian forces to intervene on the Congolese soil. According to a report from the Congolese Ministry of the Interior and Security, consulted by SOS Médias Burundi, more than 29,000 Burundian soldiers were deployed in eastern DRC between August 2022 and December 2025.

In this context, the Burundian army has recently carried out further redeployments in the region, amid heightened security tensions, particularly following the withdrawal of AFC-M23 rebels from the strategic city of Uvira, located near Goma and the roads linking eastern Congo to Burundi. Uvira had been occupied for nearly a month between December 2025 and January 2026 before the rebels withdrew.

More recently, local sources also claim that elements of the AFC-M23 have withdrawn from certain positions in the Rusizi Plain under international pressure, particularly from the United States and other partners involved in regional de-escalation efforts.

AFC-M23 and Twirwaneho at the heart of the conflict

The March 23 Movement (M23) is now one of the main components of the political-military coalition Congo River Alliance–M23 (AFC-M23), led by Corneille Nangaa, former president of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In the highlands of South Kivu, this coalition relies in particular on the armed group Twirwaneho, composed mainly of young people from the Banyamulenge community.

Congolese authorities regularly accuse Rwanda of supporting the AFC-M23 and its allies, accusations that Kigali systematically rejects. Rwanda, for its part, accuses Kinshasa of collaborating with the FDLR, an armed group composed of former Hutu leaders involved in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis.

Burundi also accuses Rwanda of supporting armed groups operating against its territory and of harboring ambitions for influence in eastern DRC, accusations that Kigali, in turn, rejects, while also accusing Gitega of collaborating with the FDLR and other armed groups active in the region.

In this context of persistent tensions, the M23/AFC, a predominantly Tutsi movement that resumed hostilities in late 2021 after accusing Kinshasa of failing to honor its commitments to reintegration, control, or influence several strategic areas in North and South Kivu, including economic hubs and key localities.

A region that remains unstable

Despite several regional agreements and diplomatic initiatives aimed at calming the crisis in eastern DRC, fighting continues on the ground, with no immediate prospect of a lasting de-escalation.

The Fizi highlands thus remain one of the most unstable hotspots in the Great Lakes region, where local rivalries are intertwined with tensions between Kigali, Kinshasa, and Gitega.