In Gitega, Ndayishimiye warns Kigali as its army retreats in eastern DRC

SOS Médias Burundi

Gitega, December 22, 2025 — As the Burundian army retreats from South Kivu after heavy defeats at the hands of the M23, President Évariste Ndayishimiye issued a stern warning to Rwanda, accusing it of threatening the national security and supporting the Congolese rebellion. Calling on the armed forces and the population to be ready, he described a “chaotic” regional situation, marked by escalating tensions and accusations flying back and forth between Kigali, Gitega, and Kinshasa.

During the Christmas and New Year 2026 greetings ceremonies with the defense and security forces, held last Friday at the Gitega Air Base in the political capital, President Évariste Ndayishimiye delivered a firm speech against Rwanda, which he accused of harboring persistent threats against Burundi.

The head of state bluntly stated that the danger remained present at the country’s borders. “The enemy is still at our doorstep, we cannot deny it. We have a bad neighbor to the north of Burundi,” he declared. According to him, Kigali is preparing attacks against Burundi in order, he said, to remove obstacles to the conquest of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

President Ndayishimiye also reiterated his accusations that Rwanda is financing rebellions and opposition groups hostile to Burundi. “Let them know,” he said, “Burundi is not a child.” “This is a country that cannot be invaded,” he insisted, calling on the defense and security forces to remain vigilant in close collaboration with administrative authorities and the civilian population.

According to him, Burundi is actively pursuing preparations for any eventuality of war, involving all citizens. He warned that any attack against Burundi would have consequences : “Anyone who dares to attack Burundi will know how the battle began, but will never control the end of this struggle, because hostilities will end in Kigali.”

The head of state concluded his address with a call for unity within the armed forces. He urged generals and senior officers to remain calm and united, warning them against any attempts at division, which he attributed to actors pursuing personal interests.

A speech delivered as the Burundian army withdraws from South Kivu

These statements by Évariste Ndayishimiye come as the situation remains volatile in eastern DRC, amidst a backdrop of cross-accusations between Kigali, Gitega, and Kinshasa.

On December 9, Burundian Foreign Minister Édouard Bizimana accused Rwanda of deploying more than 8,000 troops in support of the M23, as well as attacking Burundian and Congolese positions in violation of the Washington agreement. The following day, Rwandan President Paul Kagame, for his part, criticized Burundi for deploying more than 20,000 soldiers in the DRC, accusing Burundian troops of using drones and artillery to “kill civilians, especially in Minembwe.”

According to several reliable sources, a large number of Burundian soldiers have been repatriated over the past three weeks, following the advance of the M23 and the heavy losses suffered by the FARDC (Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo), supported by the Burundian army and the pro-Kinshasa local militias, the Wazalendo.

Since the beginning of the year, the M23 has controlled the capitals of North Kivu and South Kivu, as well as strategic mining areas, including the city of Uvira, located a few kilometers from Bujumbura, the commercial capital where the United Nations agencies and the central administration are concentrated. Uvira is also the economic heart of the small east African nation, as Bujumbura residents are forced to travel to Uvira to buy fuel. The country has been experiencing a fuel crisis for nearly five years, and Bujumbura’s markets rely heavily on Congolese customers.

After the fall of Uvira—a strategic town in South Kivu located near Bujumbura—the Burundian soldiers still present on the Congolese soil were repatriated by boat, via Baraka and Mboko on Lake Tanganyika, as their land routes had been completely cut off following the rapid advance of the M23 into most of the towns and cities of South Kivu.

Reactivated in 2021, the M23 rebel movement, composed mainly of Congolese Tutsis, now controls several strategic towns in North and South Kivu. Kinshasa accuses Kigali of supporting the rebel group, which Rwanda denies, accusing the DRC and Burundi in turn of supporting the FDLR, a Rwandan Hutu militia implicated in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis.

Regional escalation despite the Washington agreement

Despite the Washington agreement signed on December 4 under the US mediation, intended to initiate a regional de-escalation, tensions remain high. Kigali continues to reject the report by UN experts—whom they call “imposters”—which asserts the presence of 5,000 to 7,000 Rwandan soldiers alongside the M23 on the Congolese soil.

The M23 is now part of the Congo River Alliance (AFC), a political and military movement hostile to the government of Félix Tshisekedi, led by Corneille Nangaa, former president of the Congolese electoral commission, which advocates for a federal state in the DRC.

Burundi had deployed more than 10,000 soldiers in South Kivu before beginning a gradual withdrawal following successive military setbacks suffered by the FARDC and their allies.

Closed border and persistent accusations

According to local and security sources contacted by SOS Médias Burundi, Burundi and Rwanda have simultaneously reinforced their military presence along their shared border.

The situation remains tense between the two countries, whose land borders have remained closed since January 2024. Gitega accuses Kigali of harboring coup plotters involved in the attempted coup of May 2015 and of supporting armed groups hostile to the Burundian government—allegations that Rwanda firmly denies.