Uvira on the brink of conflict : military reorganization and violence against the Banyamulenge community

SOS Médias Burundi

Uvira, January 19, 2026 — The city of Uvira and its surrounding areas remain gripped by significant security instability. This instability is occurring within the context of a restructuring of the armed forces in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

The gradual withdrawal of M23 rebels and the advance of the Wazalendo militias are altering the military balance on the ground. The persistent presence of foreign forces also contributes to the deteriorating security situation.

This situation is fueling intercommunity tensions, violence against civilians, and mass population displacements. The Banyamulenge community is among the most affected groups, regularly targeted and forced into exile in several areas of South Kivu.

Looting and destruction targeting the Banyamulenge community

Acts of looting and destruction targeting the property of the Banyamulenge community have been reported in the city of Uvira. According to several consistent accounts, elements believed to be affiliated with the Wazalendo militia, supported by some civilians, ransacked homes, businesses, and places of worship belonging to this community in various neighborhoods of the city.

Videos and audio recordings widely shared on social media show individuals carrying off doors, televisions, chairs, beds, windows, and other equipment, including items from churches. In some recordings, the perpetrators claim to be targeting the homes of people they refer to as “Banyarwanda,” a derogatory term often used in the region to refer to the Banyamulenge.

The president of the Banyamulenge community in Uvira, Boss Muyoboke, currently a refugee in Kamanyola, confirms the extent of the damage. He claims that numerous homes and several places of worship have been completely destroyed.

“Approximately 99.9% of the Banyamulenge fled the arrival of the Wazalendo in Uvira. As soon as they entered the city, gunfire and explosions were heard. Then, the houses and churches belonging to the Banyamulenge were looted and destroyed,” he stated.

Among the victims is a resident identified as Sifa, whose two-story house was reportedly completely looted before being destroyed. Other families claim to have lost everything and are now homeless.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a member of the community denounces what he calls the abandonment of minorities :

“We deeply regret what is happening. The international community seems to be defending majorities at the expense of minorities. How can the Congolese state collaborate with militiamen who are looting peaceful citizens?” “In addition to homes and churches, a local non-governmental organization belonging to the Banyamulenge community, Eben Ezer, was also reportedly looted, according to several local sources.

Uvira under tension : M23 withdrawal and Wazalendo advance

The deteriorating security situation comes amid a particularly unstable military context. The M23 rebels, who seized the city of Uvira on the night of December 9-10, 2025, announced a conditional withdrawal a week later. However, until recently, Congolese government forces had not regained full control of this strategic city, located a few kilometers from Bujumbura, Burundi’s commercial capital.

According to residents contacted by SOS Médias Burundi, the last M23 elements began leaving the city on Saturday evening, an operation that was expected to end on Sunday morning.

”Taking advantage of this withdrawal, the Wazalendo militias, supported by Kinshasa, began advancing towards Uvira. On Saturday, they seized control of the village of Kirungu, located about 15 kilometers from the city, and fired shots in several mountains overlooking Uvira, causing panic and population displacement. Many residents have already fled, fearing imminent violence and clashes.

Civilians remain trapped between the opposing forces, while mass displacements are being reported. The control of Kirungu opens a strategic corridor towards Uvira, increasing anxiety and uncertainty among the population. At this stage, no official source has released information on potential casualties or direct clashes within the city.

A community regularly stigmatized

The Banyamulenge community, a minority in South Kivu, is regularly the target of stigmatization and violence, with some members of other communities considering them “foreign” or assimilating them into Rwandan identity. In September 2025, demonstrations organized in Uvira by a segment of local civil society and armed groups against the appointment of General Olivier Gasita, a member of the Banyamulenge community, degenerated into violence, resulting in deaths and injuries. The FARDC command then decided to transfer him to another post.

In South Kivu, the Banyamulenge are also perceived by some as being close to the M23. The armed group Twirwaneho, composed mainly of young Banyamulenge, is considered an ally of the M23 in certain areas.

A regional conflict with nultiple actors

Reactivated in late 2021, the M23—composed primarily of Congolese Tutsis—is now part of the Congo River Alliance (AFC), led by Corneille Nangaa, former president of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI). The movement controls several strategic areas in North and South Kivu, including Goma and Bukavu, the capitals of the two Kivus, as well as the Rubaya mining site, one of the world’s largest coltan deposits, a strategic mineral for the electronics industry.

The AFC/M23 advocates for the establishment of a federal state in the DRC. Kinshasa accuses Kigali of supporting the rebel movement, while Rwanda denounces the alleged support of the DRC and Burundi for the FDLR, a Rwandan Hutu armed group whose members are accused of participating in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis. Despite Rwandan denials, a report by the UN Group of Experts mentions the presence of 5,000 to 7,000 Rwandan soldiers alongside AFC/M23 fighters.

The fighting continues despite the agreement signed in Washington on December 4, 2025, between the DRC and Rwanda, under the US mediation. Burundi participated as an observer, represented by President Évariste Ndayishimiye.

According to an internal report from the Congolese Ministry of the Interior and Security, consulted by SOS Médias Burundi, Burundi has deployed more than 29,000 soldiers in eastern DRC, of ​​whom approximately 10,000 are still present on the ground. These troops are fighting alongside the FARDC (Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo) and the Wazalendo militias against the M23. Following the M23’s dramatic advances in South Kivu in December 2025 and the losses suffered by the FDNB (National Defense Force of Burundi), the Burundian authorities repatriated a large portion of the troops deployed in the DRC.

Recently, the Secretary General of the CNDD-FDD (National Council for the Defense of Democracy – Forces for the Defense of Democracy), Révérien Ndikuriyo, confirmed the continued presence of Burundian soldiers in the DRC, without specifying the remaining numbers, stating in particular :

“We return whenever we want, in accordance with the signed agreements; it’s practically our home.”

In Uvira, the ongoing military restructuring has not brought about a return to security for civilians. Between the withdrawal of the M23, the advance of the Wazalendo militias, and the continued involvement of regional forces, local populations continue to pay the price for a conflict with military, community, and geopolitical dimensions. For the Banyamulenge community, regularly associated with external actors, this violence revives the specter of lasting marginalization and raises, once again, the question of the protection of minorities in eastern DRC.”