Uvira under tension : general strike, violence, and rejection of General Gasita in a strategic city on the verge of explosion

SOS Médias Burundi

Bukavu, September 7, 2025—For the past week, the city of Uvira, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, has been undergoing a paralyzing general strike and explosive tensions. At the heart of the protests : the rejection of Brigadier General Olivier Gasita, recently appointed head of operations and intelligence within the 33rd military region. Anger is brewing, fueled by ethnic accusations, political demands, and an increasingly unstable regional security climate.

The Wazalendo movement—a coalition of local militias supported by Kinshasa—is behind this mobilization, supported by certain civil society organizations. The protesters categorically reject the presence of General Gasita, whom they accuse of :

Belonging to the Banyamulenge community, a Tutsi minority often identified with the Rwandophone population;

Playing a role in the fall of Bukavu, which fell earlier this year to the M23, a Tutsi rebellion suspected of being supported by Rwanda – a claim Kigali categorically denies.

Since its resurgence in late 2021, the M23 has conquered several capitals and strategic mineral-rich areas in the provinces of North and South Kivu, much to the dismay of Kinshasa and its regional allies.

Uvira at a standstill : economic paralysis and ethnic tensions

Since September 2, schools, banks, markets, businesses, and transportation have been closed in Uvira. The city has come to a complete standstill.

“We have been condemned to hunger. I used to sell oranges and avocados from Burundi, but we’ve been locked up at home for a week now,” laments a resident.

At night, the city plunges into anxiety. Heavy gunfire, explosions, and targeted violence : a five-year-old child was killed in an explosion on the night of Friday to Saturday. At the same time, the protests have taken an alarming ethnic turn. The Banyamulenge community is increasingly targeted.

In a press release, the Banyamulenge Mutual Association denounces acts of discrimination, physical violence, and intimidation :

Women and girls beaten in Kabindula;

Denial of access to drinking water, with some protesters declaring : “Go and draw water from Rwanda”;

Kidnapping of an FARDC soldier and a police officer, both Banyamulenge.

FARDC, Burundi, and the game of regional alliances

Faced with pressure, the FARDC reaffirmed its full support for General Gasita. Major General Sylvain Ekenge, spokesman for the Congolese army, firmly rejected the protesters’ demands :

“The Wazalendo have no instructions to give within the DRC armed forces. There are real Wazalendo and fake ones; I call on the real ones not to fall into the enemy’s trap,” he declared.

General Gasita is currently holed up in a hotel in Uvira, under joint protection of the FARDC and Burundian soldiers. Burundi, its immediate neighbor, has deployed approximately 10,000 soldiers on the Congolese soil to support the FARDC and their allies in the war against the M23.

Uvira, a strategic city under high tension

Located just a few kilometers from Bujumbura, Burundi’s commercial capital, Uvira is today a nerve center in eastern Congo. Following the fall of Bukavu, it is now home to the capital of South Kivu, and many Congolese officials have retreated there.

It also remains one of Burundi’s economic powerhouses. Faced with a fuel crisis that has persisted for 57 months, the residents of Bujumbura rely heavily on fuel supplies from Uvira.

A climate of terror among security forces

Mistrust and hatred on the ground also translate into extreme violence against government officials. In recent years, Congolese army and police officers, as well as customs agents, have been killed or expelled from their areas of operation.

Two particularly gruesome incidents have left their mark : an FARDC captain and a major were killed, burned alive, and even cannibalized by militiamen in the provinces of South and North Kivu.

Tshisekedi calls for discernment, but the terrain remains hostile

President Félix Tshisekedi has repeatedly attempted to ease tensions, stating that Rwandans are not the enemies of the Congolese, but that the real problem lies with Paul Kagame’s regime. However, these calls for discernment are not enough to contain the growing hatred and polarization on the ground.

A regional powder keg

The situation in Uvira once again illustrates the extreme fragility of eastern DRC. Between community tensions, regional power struggles, the war against the M23, and the administrative collapse in Bukavu, Uvira has become a barometer of Congolese chaos, at a time when the region needs stability.