Two young Banyamulenge arrested by the Burundian army in eastern DRC

SOS Médias Burundi

Bukavu, August 22, 2025 – Two young men, members of the Banyamulenge community, were arrested on Tuesday, August 19, 2025, in the Bijombo groupment, Uvira territory, in South Kivu province in eastern DRC, bordering Burundi. They were grazing their cattle when Burundian soldiers from the neighboring village of Muramvya arrested them in the pastures of the village of Irango.

The two youths were then taken to the Bijombo military detention center, where both elements of the DRC Armed Forces (FARDC) and the Burundian army are stationed.

The families are calling for their immediate release. “We demand the release of our children arrested by the Burundian army because they are innocent. They were arrested while simply guarding their cattle,” said a relative.

An arrest amid security tensions

This incident comes a few days after accusations were filed against Burundian soldiers suspected of firing several bullets in the same town of Irango. The area remains fragile due to clashes between various armed groups.

For several weeks, the Bijombo groupment has been the scene of the deployment of FARDC, Burundian forces, and local Wazalendo militias, opposing rebels from the Twirwaneho and M23 armed groups, affiliated with the Congo River Alliance (AFC) politico-military movement hostile to Kinshasa.

The military coalition has redeployed to several strategic locations—Mitamba, Gongwa, Mugeti, Marimba, Majaga, and Ruhuha—to halt the advance of Twirwaneho and the M23 toward Uvira, located approximately 60 kilometers (37 miles) from Burundi’s commercial capital, Bujumbura.

Burundi has deployed approximately 10,000 troops to eastern Congo to support the Congolese army and allied militias in the war against the M23, which has controlled the capitals of the two Kivus since the beginning of the year. Following the capture of Goma in January 2025 by M23 rebels, all elements of the Burundian army present in North Kivu withdrew to South Kivu.