Bertrand Bisimwa, the AFC/M23 rebellion’s deputy coordinator, has once again denounced the Congolese government’s endless targeting and killing of unarmed Banyamulenge civilians in Minembwe, Uvira, and surrounding areas in South Kivu Province. This comes a week after he warned that villages inhabited by unarmed Banyamulenge civilians were targeted and destroyed by the drones, Sukhoi fighter jets, and mortars of the Congolese army coalition in South Kivu Province. In a March 4 post on X, Bisimwa said the Kinshasa regime is carrying out attacks against peaceful populations, with impunity, in attacks carried out by the Congolese army coalition that includes Burundian armed forces, Rwandan genocidal militias known as FDLR, and Congolese militias called Wazalendo, from Uvira and those who fled Bukavu. ALSO READ: How Tshisekedi scuttled FDLR neutralisation plan at last minute FDLR, which poses a serious security threat to neighboring Rwanda is a DR Congo-based terrorist militia founded by remnants of the masterminds of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. ALSO READ: M23 says will ‘not passively watch’ as DR Congo bombs, massacres Banyamulenge On Monday, March 10, the M23 leader, again took to X, saying that in the morning, “drones were flying over Minembwe, capturing images of targets.” He added: “The population was already worried. But the worst had not yet happened. Twelve minutes ago, Sukhoi fighter jets bombed villages in Minembwe, where, I must remind you, there is neither a frontline nor a battle. There are no FARDC [Congolese army] soldiers, no Mai-Mai elements present. Only the civilian population, the majority of whom are Banyamulenge. This Monday morning, March 10, 2025, drones were flying over Minembwe, capturing images of targets. The population was already worried. But the worst had not yet happened. Twelve minutes ago, Sukhoi fighter jets bombed villages in Minembwe, where, I must remind you, there is... — Bertrand Bisimwa (@bbisimwa) March 10, 2025 ALSO READ: M23 warns of Kinshasa’s continued targeting of civilians “One of the targeted sites was the Minembwe airstrip, which is used solely for commercial and humanitarian purposes in this highly isolated region, where all other routes are blocked by the FARDC and armed groups. No Munyamulenge can travel to Baraka, Fizi, or Uvira, let alone Mwenga. The only means of evacuation for the sick, the delivery of medicine, and other essential supplies was this airstrip. It has now been damaged by a plane belonging to the government of my country.” Bisimwa denounced “this situation” and put a question to the Congolese government, other institutions, particularly the Parliament, and to the international community: “does your silence not trouble you?” The war between the Congolese government army coalition that includes FDLR, over 10,000 Burundian troops, 1,600 European mercenaries, and South Africa-led SADC forces, against M23 rebels started in 2021. M23 is now part of a larger rebel coalition, Alliance fleuve Congo (AFC), created in December 2023. ALSO READ: M23 are no terrorists, the Congolese army is – say Bukavu residents Since January, the rebels advanced across North and South Kivu provinces, liberating swathes of territory, after repulsing a vast Congolese army coalition that included hundreds of European mercenaries, FDLR, Wazalendo, Burundian armed forces, South African-led SADC forces, as well as UN peacekeepers. Following heavy fighting triggered by constant violations by the Congolese army coalition, of an earlier set ceasefire, on January 27, the rebels captured Goma, the capital of North Kivu Province, and restore order there. #DRC #Rubaya #M23 Are #M23 and Rwanda 'plundering #coltan' in Rubaya? A report. My main findings: - There are NO #M23 soldiers near the mines. - #M23 does not participate in any aspect of the coltan mining business. - There is NO Rwandan presence in Rubaya. - Rubaya... pic.twitter.com/fpTGEZsmyI — Bojana Coulibaly, Ph.D. (@CoulibalyBojana) March 7, 2025 In a long post shared on X after touring Goma, Alain Destexhe, a former Belgian senator, said that since the fall of Goma into the hands of M23, a new order has been instated allowing restoration of life activities, with significant improvements in most cases, far beyond the “chaos” before the capture of the city. Mes X sur la situation à Goma en DRCongo ont été vus > de 550k. Il y a un réel intérêt pour une information indépendante. #Kivu2025 https://t.co/3zGtWZJgmc — Alain Destexhe (@Destexhe) March 8, 2025 As the security situation in South Kivu deteriorated amid reports of violence, looting, and abuses propagated by the Congolese army coalition, the rebels moved again. They first captured the strategic airport of Kavumu, before moving south to capture the regional capital, Bukavu, on February 15. Before then, people were urging them to quickly move in, and secure the entire city. People in rebel-controlled areas in North and South Kivu provinces are relieved that the Congolese army coalition is not disturbing their peace. An alarming situation of insecurity and violence in the Hauts-Plateaux of South Kivu, particularly Minembwe and surrounding areas, the homeland of the Banyamulenge, continues. Since August 2018, waves of violence in the region claimed hundreds of casualties, and forced thousands of the Banyamulenge to flee after their villages were set on fire. Thousands fled to neighbouring countries including Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. VIDEO: Corneille Nangaa on rebellion’s plan to march to Kinshasa The AFC is fighting for governance that supports basic human rights, secures all Congolese citizens, and addresses the root causes of conflict. What you see here is just a glimpse of the suffering that the people of Eastern DRC have endured for over 30 years. Our organization, Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC/M23), continually reminds the world of the barbarism perpetrated by the coalition forces of the Kinshasa regime, acting... https://t.co/9MOU6m3U2U — Bertrand Bisimwa (@bbisimwa) March 10, 2025 The rebel movement has vowed to uproot tribalism, nepotism, corruption, and genocide ideology, among other vices, widespread in DR Congo. ALSO READ: M23 blasts ‘deliberate manipulation aimed at tarnishing our movement’s image’ In an earlier post, Bisimwa said: “We urge the world to see the situation for what it truly is and to reject harmful misinformation. The accusations against AFC-M23 regarding human rights violations are false. For instance, the mass rapes of female prisoners occurred before AFC-M23’s presence in Goma, a fact that is easily verifiable. The challenges ahead are immense. “We do not claim that decades of state neglect can be undone overnight. But we are committed to real change. We are not afraid to fight for our survival, but war has never been our first choice. The Kinshasa regime has unequivocally refused any political dialogue that addresses the root causes of this conflict and paves the way for lasting peace in our country. Peace begins with dialogue. The sooner we talk, the sooner peace becomes a reality.”
