Villages inhabited by unarmed Banyamulenge civilians are still waking up to attacks, especially bomb explosions, by the Congolese army and its Wazalendo allied militia in South Kivu Province, according to Moise Nyarugabo, a Congolese lawyer. ALSO READ: Drones, MONUSCO intelligence used in Minembwe, Uvira civilian massacres – warns M23 Nyarugabo posted this on X, on Friday, March 21, just a day after he brought it to the world’s attention that the Congolese army and its Wazalendo allied militia on Thursday targeted several rural communities in Minembwe, a cluster of villages located in the highlands of Lulenge, within the Fizi Territory of South Kivu Province. Les habitants des hauts-plateaux de Fizi et Mwenga , en particulier ceux de Minembwe se réveillent encore sous les bombes. Depuis 6h ce matin du 21/03/25, les mêmes Fardc et Wazalendo venus de Fizi par Mukela et Mulima viennent de reprendre leur attaque a Mukoko en direction de... — Me Moise Nyarugabo (@MoiseNyarugabo) March 21, 2025 Nyarugabo said: “The inhabitants of the highlands of Fizi and Mwenga, especially those of Minembwe, are still waking up under bomb explosions. Since 6am this morning of 21/03/25, the same FARDC and Wazalendo who came from Fizi via Mukela and Mulima have just resumed their attack in Mukoko towards Kakenge. The other villages are still calm at this moment. God only knows for how long. Yesterday, Thursday 20/03/25, the following villages were attacked: Gahwera, Kivumu, Irumba (antennas) and Nyagishasha, they spent the whole day under fire. “Regarding Gahwera, the coalition of attackers yesterday was led by the FDLR, FARDC and the Wazalendo who came from Lulenge. The entire population of Minembwe and Twirwaneho have been fighting for 8 years to stay alive and dignified in their land.” On March 4, Bertrand Bisimwa, the AFC/M23 rebellion’s deputy coordinator, said Kinshasa is carrying out attacks against peaceful populations, with impunity. ALSO READ: How impunity fuels genocidal ideology in DR Congo He said the attacks are carried out by the Congolese army coalition that includes Burundian armed forces, Rwandan genocidal militias known as FDLR, a DR Congo-backed terrorist militia founded by remnants of the masterminds of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, and Congolese militias called Wazalendo, from Uvira and others who fled Bukavu when the rebels seized it on February 15. ALSO READ: M23 says will ‘not passively watch’ as DR Congo bombs, massacres Banyamulenge Bisimwa said the reason for these attacks is that these villages are heavily inhabited by Banyamulenge populations that the regime considers to be Rwandans. “These massacres targeting unarmed civilians are unacceptable and condemnable. If the world has chosen to remain silent on the criminal underworld of the Kinshasa regime babysat by certain states, the AFC/M23 will not passively witness the massacres of innocent civilians, we will take our responsibilities.”
