Uvira: six people including a soldier killed in fighting between the regular army and the Mai-Mai

Two civilians, three rebels and a soldier were killed on Thursday in the Mubere zone. It is in the groupment of Kigoma, territory of Uvira in the province of South Kivu in the east of the DRC. They died in clashes between the FARDC (Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo) and Mai-Mai Kijangala. INFO SOS Médias Burundi

In addition to those killed, several other residents had to flee for their security. They are based in Sange (still South Kivu).

According to local sources, there were detonations of heavy and light weapons.

“A local church pastor and a woman who were with him, for example, were killed by shrapnel”, residents said.

According to witnesses, the Mai-Mai Kijangala burned down at least 12 houses.

The civil society in the Rusizi plain confirms the displacement of several inhabitants from zones of Mubere, Nakihinga and Kabere where the clashes took place, towards Sange and Kigoma.

“We lost a soldier, another was injured”, testified on condition of anonymity, a soldier from regiment 3304.

And he specified, “We killed three Maï-Maï militiamen including one of Burundian origin known by the nickname of Kibonge”.

The Mai-Mai Kijangala are collaborating with a group of youth league members of Burundi’s ruling CNDD-FDD party (Imbonerakure), according to local sources in South Kivu.

According to several sources, they serve as a guide for the FDNB (Burundi National Defense Force) to track down Burundian armed groups based in South Kivu, especially the Red-Tabara considered by Burundian authorities as a terrorist group.