Minembwe under crossfire : FARDC and Burundian soldiers attack Banyamulenge villages

SOS Médias Burundi

Bukavu, February 8, 2026 – Heavy fighting was reported on Sunday in several localities in the Minembwe highlands, in the Fizi territory of South Kivu province in eastern Congo. In this area, inhabited mainly by the Banyamulenge minority, local sources say that the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC), supported by the Wazalendo militia and Burundian troops, carried out attacks using drones and heavy weapons.

Among the villages affected are Kakenge, Rugezi, Kalingi, and Point Zéro.

An area at the heart of a local war

In this region, the coalition supported by Kinshasa is notably fighting Twirwaneho, a local armed group composed largely of young Banyamulenge and allied with the M23.

Civilians fleeing

Residents report that the bombings have hit inhabited areas, causing deaths and numerous injuries, though independent assessments are unavailable.

“Since this morning, FARDC drones have been striking various Banyamulenge localities, including Kakenge, Kalingi, Point Zéro, and Rugezi. Burundian soldiers are also reportedly participating in the attacks. Many families have fled into the bush,” a resident told SOS Médias Burundi.

Disputed offensives

Other sources indicate that elements of the M23 and Twirwaneho have, in some areas, repelled or contained advances attributed to the FARDC, the Wazalendo, and Burundian forces. No independent confirmation was available, and Congolese and Burundian military authorities have not commented.

Security and economic stakes

According to several analysts, Gitega’s involvement serves strategic objectives. The positions of Point Zero, Mukera, Mulima, Rwitsankuku, Nakisozi, Ndobo, Magaja, Lulimba, Kafugwe, and Tujenge are considered crucial for controlling mineral transport routes.

Fizi has major ports on Lake Tanganyika, connecting the DRC to Tanzania and Burundi. Minerals from Maniema, Salamabila, Kimbi, Misisi, Kitumba, and Ngandja are believed to transit through these routes.

Visible effects on currencies

A Burundian economist points out that these new trade routes are already impacting the currency market :

“In 2024, 100 dollars were worth between 780,000 and 800,000 Burundian francs.” Since 2025, the rate has fallen to between 580,000 and 600,000. This reflects the influx of foreign currency linked to minerals from South Kivu and Maniema.

Explosive regional context

These clashes are taking place in a tense geopolitical environment. Reactivated in 2021, the M23 is now part of the Congo River Alliance (AFC), led by Corneille Nangaa, former president of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI), which advocates for a federal state in the DRC.

The rebellion controls several strategic areas, 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, supplying a significant portion of the tantalum used in the electronics industry and new technologies.

Kinshasa accuses Rwanda of supporting the M23. Kigali denies this, but a report by the UN Group of Experts published in 2025 mentions the presence of 5,000 to 7,000 Rwandan soldiers alongside the rebels. Rwanda accuses Burundi and the DRC of collaborating with the FDLR, a Rwandan Hutu group 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 soldiers in eastern Congo to fight alongside the FARDC and the Wazalendo militias, which are supported by Kinshasa, against the M23, according to an internal report from the Congolese Ministry of the Interior consulted by SOS Médias Burundi.

Direct involvement of Burundi

Gitega’s involvement is confirmed and official. In a widely circulated video, on the sidelines of a meeting with the Imbonerakure, members of the youth wing of the CNDD-FDD, the presidential party, who frequently accompany elements of the FDNB (National Defense Force of Burundi) in the fighting in Congo, President Évariste Ndayishimiye boasted of the Burundian army’s role in the DRC :

“The Rwandan army would have taken over all of Congo had it not been for our intervention.”

This statement underscores the active role of Burundian forces in certain military operations alongside the FARDC and the Wazalendo militias in eastern DRC.

Demonstrations and Protests

A US-based organization, the Mahoro Peace Association, which brings together members of the Banyamulenge community, organized demonstrations in November and December 2025 in the United States and Canada. The organization appealed to American elected officials, denouncing “abuses by the Burundian army” and demanding the withdrawal of Burundian troops from the DRC.

The spokesperson for the FDNB, Brigadier General Gaspard Baratuza, acknowledged on the BBC that Banyamulenge are trapped in areas “where the enemy is” :

“It’s understandable that those who go to buy food for the enemy are trapped.”