Goma : after the Masisi bombing, the AFC-M23 buries civilians and accuses Kinshasa

SOS Médias Burundi

Goma, January 8, 2026 – It was with tears in their eyes, their faces ravaged by grief, marked by profound sorrow and unspeakable sadness, that the AFC-M23 authorities expressed their condolences to the families of the victims of the bombings that sowed death and mourned the civilian population of Masisi, attributed to the Kinshasa regime.

A somber day, heavy with pain, remembrance, silence, and sobs, for the entire Masisi community, still reeling from this tragedy.

It all began with an ecumenical service, held in an atmosphere of profound mourning, meditation, and prayer, to pay final respects to these martyrs of freedom and justice, brutally taken from their lives by the Kinshasa regime, leaving behind broken and inconsolable families.

In total, ten bodies of victims, mostly children and women, all civilians, received their final tribute from the people of North Kivu, their families, and the political and military authorities of the AFC-M23, at the Unity Stadium in Goma.

During this solemn and moving ceremony, the administrator of the Masisi territory, Emmanuel NDIZEYE Rutebuka, recounted the numerous acts of atrocity and barbarity regularly perpetrated against the civilian population of Masisi. His voice heavy with sorrow, he denounced the indiscriminate bombings by the Kinshasa regime, acts that plunge entire families into perpetual mourning and unspeakable suffering.

For their part, the families of the victims, devastated by grief, expressed their gratitude to the AFC-M23 authorities, first and foremost for the peace restored to Masisi since the arrival of the revolutionary movement. With trembling voices and eyes red with tears, they then condemned and denounced the belligerent spirit of the Kinshasa regime, which they hold responsible for their suffering, their mourning, and the cruel loss of their loved ones.

The governor of North Kivu province, Bahati Musanga Erasto, echoed this sentiment, delivering an emotional address to the international community. He called for legal action against Félix Tshisekedi to hold him accountable for his actions, specifically mentioning war crimes and crimes against humanity responsible for so many lives lost and families left bereaved.

Present at this large ceremony of collective mourning, the political coordinator of the AFC-M23, Corneille Nangaa, solemnly reiterated that the AFC-M23 remains fully committed to protecting the population from any threat, regardless of its origin.

After the tributes paid at Unity Stadium, in an atmosphere of heavy silence and prayers, the funeral procession headed towards Masisi, in the Kabatsana district, where the bodies of more than twenty-two civilians, victims of bombings attributed to the Kinshasa regime, were laid to rest with dignity, amidst the tears of relatives and the solemnity of the community.

Before the ceremony concluded, the authorities of the revolutionary movement carried out a highly symbolic act: the construction of a memorial, erected in homage to the victims, as a sign of collective memory, eternal compassion, and profound respect for the deceased. The victims had been killed on January 2, 2026, and no official statement has been issued since.

Tense regional context

After the tributes paid in Goma, the capital of North Kivu, which has been under rebel control since January 2025, the funeral procession headed towards Masisi. Goma, the largest city in eastern Congo, is now being used as the political and military headquarters of the AFC-M23.

These events are taking place against a backdrop of particularly tense security and political situations in eastern DRC. The M23, composed mainly of Congolese Tutsis, is now integrated into the Congo River Alliance (AFC), led by Corneille Nangaa, former president of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI). The AFC advocates for the establishment of a federal state in the DRC.

The AFC/M23 currently controls several strategic territories in North and South Kivu, including key towns and crucial mining sites, strengthening its influence in the region and further destabilized the security situation.

Despite repeated denials from Rwandan authorities, a recent report by United Nations experts, whom Kigali has dismissed as “imposters,” indicates the presence of 5,000 to 7,000 Rwandan soldiers alongside the M23 rebels, exacerbating interstate tensions and the fragile security situation in the Great Lakes region.

Kinshasa accuses Kigali of supporting the M23, while Rwanda accuses the DRC and Burundi of supporting the FDLR, a Rwandan Hutu armed group, some of whose members are accused of participating in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. These cross-accusations fuel mistrust and the risk of further military escalation in the region. Burundi has deployed more than 29,000 soldiers in support of the FARDC, the Congolese loyalist army, and the local Wazalendo militias, which are supported by Kinshasa. But with the M23’s spectacular advances in South Kivu in December 2025 and the heavy losses suffered by the Burundi National Defense Force (FDNB), the small East African nation repatriated a large portion of its troops, according to several sources who spoke to SOS Médias Burundi.