DRC (Bijombo) : Banyamulenge civilians hunted down, thousands displaced in a new spiral of violence

SOS Médias Burundi

Bukavu, April 6, 2026 — The security situation is rapidly deteriorating in the Bijombo area, located in the Uvira territory of South Kivu province, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. For several days, clashes have pitted various armed groups against loyalist forces, causing the displacement of thousands of civilians.

The localities of Muramvya, Masata, Nyakirango, Irango, and Kajembwe are among the areas most affected by this violence. According to testimonies gathered from residents, the fighting involves the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC), supported by elements of the Burundi National Defense Force (FDNB), the Wazalendo militias backed by Kinshasa, and fighters from the Gumino group, against Twirwaneho fighters affiliated with the M23.

Both the Twirwaneho and Gumino armed groups are composed of members of the Banyamulenge community, but they are opposing sides in this conflict.

According to several local sources, the offensives are originating primarily from the areas of Mitamba, Kafinda, and Masango in the Bijige sector, as well as from Kajembwe. The clashes have intensified since Friday, April 3, 2026.

A trapped population

On the ground, the humanitarian situation is alarming. Civilians, trapped by the fighting, are fleeing in panic.

“Some residents are hiding in the bush, others have fled to the forests, while many have taken refuge in churches in Masoro and Gahuna. We are fleeing because the Wazalendo are threatening civilians and stealing our livestock,” testifies Yohana, a resident of the village of Muramvya.

The Banyamulenge population of Bijombo fears a repeat of the violence that ravaged the region between 2018 and 2022, involving, in particular, fighters from RED-Tabara, an armed group of Burundian origin, Mai-Mai militias, and the FARDC (Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo).

Fears of war crimes

Faced with the escalating violence, residents are calling on international human rights organizations to open investigations into possible war crimes committed in the region, particularly in Bijombo and Minembwe.

“In Minembwe, civilians are reportedly being killed by drones, livestock slaughtered, houses burned, and crops destroyed. Here in Bijombo, we fear the same scenario,” they warn.

Furthermore, several reports from independent organizations accuse certain forces involved—notably the FARDC, Burundian troops, and the Wazalendo—of targeting Banyamulenge civilians during recent attacks in Minembwe.

Demonstrations and protests abroad

A U.S.-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 Burundian army, 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.”

A conflict with regional dimensions

These clashes are taking place within a particularly tense regional context. Reactivated at the end of 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 Congolese Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI).

The movement controls several strategic areas in North and South Kivu, including Goma and Bukavu, as well as the Rubaya mining site, one of the world’s largest coltan deposits, essential to the electronics industry.

According to an internal report from the Congolese Ministry of the Interior and Security consulted by SOS Médias Burundi, Burundi deployed more than 29,000 soldiers in eastern DRC between August 2022 and December 2025, of whom approximately 10,000 are still present on the ground.

Kinshasa accuses Kigali of supporting the M23, while Rwanda rejects these accusations and asserts that the DRC and Burundi are providing support to the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a Rwandan Hutu armed group whose members are accused of participating in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis.

Despite the signing of the Washington Agreement on December 4, 2025, under the US mediation—in which Burundi participated as an observer—fighting continues on the ground. Despite Kigali’s denials, a UN expert report mentions the presence of 5,000 to 7,000 Rwandan soldiers alongside the AFC/M23 rebels, a claim strongly contested by Rwandan authorities.

A crisis that is dragging on

Caught between several armed forces, the Banyamulenge civilians of Bijombo are once again paying the heavy price of a conflict that is beyond their control. Without effective protection or an adequate international response, the region risks plunging back into a lasting cycle of violence, where the population becomes the primary target and the forgotten victims of a war with explosive regional stakes.