Eastern DRC : Burundi fuels chaos with soldiers and civilians recruited into the Wazalendo

SOS Médias Burundi

Bukavu, May 24, 2025 – While Burundi has officially deployed nearly 10,000 soldiers alongside the FARDC in eastern DRC, a parallel phenomenon is causing serious concern : the growing recruitment of Burundian civilians, refugees, and former militiamen into the ranks of the Wazalendo, a motley coalition of armed groups supported by Kinshasa. This explosive dynamic risks reviving the old demons of war in the Great Lakes region.

More and more young Burundians are joining these militias in the Uvira territory, abandoning their daily activities—agriculture, commerce, motorcycle taxis, or hairdressing—seduced by promises of remuneration and a better future.

“We hope for a better life. After the war, the Congolese government will pay us like soldiers,” confides a young recruit we met in Kiliba.

In the neighborhoods of Kasenga, Kavimvira, Kilibula, Kawizi, and Kiliba, testimonies are multiplying. Some refugees from the Mulongwe and Lusenda camps, or the Sange transit center, have also been seen in the ranks of the Wazalendo.

An agent of the National Refugee Commission (NRC) in Baraka sounds the alarm:

“Refugees have received no assistance for over five months. Some end up joining armed groups. But they have neither the right nor the duty to do so.”

According to regional security sources, nearly 10,000 Burundian soldiers—supported by members of the ruling party’s youth league, the Imbonerakure—are officially present in the DRC. The Burundi National Defense Force (FDNB) has been engaged for over a year in joint operations against the M23 and other armed groups in the provinces of South and North Kivu.

Researchers and local organizations warn of a potential escalation of violence.

“There is a high risk that these foreign elements will be involved in crimes, including looting and assassinations,” warns a regional security expert.

In this context, some voices are calling for a distinction between “real Wazalendo”—considered defenders of the territory—and “fake” Wazalendo, accused of committing abuses under the guise of patriotism.

So far, Kinshasa has struggled to regulate local militias it supports, ignoring the serious violations committed against civilians.

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Burial of Major Ernest Gashirahamwe, the first high-ranking FDNB officer to be killed in North Kivu, on November 16, 2023 in Bujumbura (SOS Médias Burundi)