South Kivu : the battle of Point Zero revives the highlands front

Bukavu, January 31, 2026 – The Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC), supported by the Burundi National Defense Force (FDNB) and Wazalendo militias, recaptured the strategic location of Point Zero in the Fizi territory of South Kivu on Friday. The area had previously been occupied by fighters from the Twirwaneho armed group, composed mainly of young Banyamulenge men.

According to local sources in Minembwe, the military operation involved the use of combat drones to dislodge the fighters entrenched in the area. Following the recapture of Point Zero, clashes continued on Saturday, January 31, in the direction of Tuwe-Tuwe, with progress reported toward Mikenge.

Residents report that a Congolese army drone bombed the Madegu shopping center, injuring three civilians. A local source claims that “the Congolese State and the Burundian army are trying to uproot the Banyamulenge community from the South Kivu highlands,” an accusation that has not elicited an official response from the relevant authorities.

In response to these events, the Mahoro Peace Association, a US-based organization representing members of the Banyamulenge community, issued a statement on Friday condemning the drone strikes carried out by the FARDC (Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo) and denouncing attacks targeting Banyamulenge civilians.

The armed group Twirwaneho is considered a strategic ally of the M23 in South Kivu. The M23, now affiliated with the Congo River Alliance (AFC), controls several strategic areas in North and South Kivu, including their respective capitals, Goma and Bukavu, as well as the Rubaya mining site, one of the world’s largest coltan deposits, a mineral essential for the electronics industry and new technologies.

Congolese authorities accuse Rwanda of supporting the M23. Despite repeated denials from Kigali, a report by the United Nations Group of Experts, published in 2025, confirmed the presence of 5,000 to 7,000 Rwandan soldiers alongside the M23 rebels. Rwandan authorities, for their part, have called these UN experts imposters.

Meanwhile, Kigali accuses the DRC and Burundi of providing alleged support to the FDLR, a Rwandan Hutu armed group, some of whose members are accused of participating in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis.

Between August 2022 and December 2025, Burundi deployed more than 29,000 FDNB soldiers to eastern DRC to fight alongside the FARDC and the Wazalendo militias, supported by Kinshasa, against the M23 rebels.

For several security analysts, the recapture of Point Zero by the FARDC and the FDNB opens a new military front towards Minembwe and Mikenge, two strategic areas in the South Kivu highlands.

On the ground, clashes continue despite the Washington Agreement, signed on December 4, 2025, between Rwanda and the DRC under the US mediation, illustrating the failure of diplomatic initiatives. Burundi participated in the discussions as an observer, represented by President Évariste Ndayishimiye.