The Congolese coalition forces, with the direct and active participation of the Burundian army, continue carrying out a premeditated, systematic, and targeted extermination campaign against the Banyamulenge Tutsi civilian population in DR Congo’s South Kivu Province, the spokesperson of the AFC/M23 movement said Saturday, December 13. The AFC/M23 on December 10 confirmed it captured Uvira, a strategic city that has been the major stronghold for the government army coalition for months. ALSO READ: How Burundian troops in South Kivu sparked a distinct humanitarian crisis amid DR Congo’s wider war Throughout the day, on Friday, December 12, and in the early hours of Saturday, December 13, 2025, AFC/M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka said Sukhoi-25 fighter jets, combat helicopters, and military drones, operating from the territory of neighbouring Burundi, “conducted indiscriminate aerial attacks against the densely populated Banyamulenge villages of Mikenke and Rwesankuku, in flagrant violation of the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law.” Tout au long de la journée du vendredi 12 décembre 2025 et depuis les premières heures de ce samedi 13 décembre 2025, les forces coalisées du régime de Kinshasa, avec la participation directe et active de l’armée burundaise, mettent en œuvre une campagne d’extermination... — Lawrence KANYUKA (@LawrenceKanyuka) December 13, 2025 “These strikes deliberately target defenseless civilians, causing the deaths of women and children, and are part of a concerted policy of terror, destruction, and forced displacement of a population identified on the basis of its ethnic affiliation. Such acts constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity.” ALSO READ: 80-year-old Congolese reflects on lifetime of injustice, attacks in DR Congo Rwanda's Permanent Representative to the UN, Amb. Martin Ngoga, on Friday urged the Security Council to take stock of the situation in DR Congo's South Kivu province, where Congolese Tutsi communities face extermination at the hands of the government and its allies. Si le gouvernement a le droit de reprendre militairement le controle du territoire national, en tuant ses citoyens, nous avons également, comme citoyens, le droit et la légitimité de défendre nos vies et celles des compatriotes menacés d'extermination par leur propre gouvernement https://t.co/l39LRUfCnB — Bertrand Bisimwa (@bbisimwa) December 13, 2025 During a Security Council briefing on the UN mission in DR Congo (MONUSCO), Ngoga said the extension of its mandate in the conflict-ridden country should take into consideration the Washington Peace Agreement and the Doha Framework, two complementary tracks that seek to restore peace. ALSO READ: UN peacekeeping missions need realistic mandates, says Rwandan envoy As the Council considers MONUSCO’s next mandate, Rwanda expects a mission that is clearly anchored in, and reinforcing of, the Washington Peace Agreement and the Doha Framework—both of which the Secretary-General’s report rightly identifies as the central avenues for a sustainable peace, Ngoga said, referring to the two peace processes between Rwanda and DR Congo, and DR Congo and the AFC/M23 rebels, respectively. He urged for strict impartiality and political neutrality, support to ceasefire implementation and political dialogue, among other principles, as the mandate of MONUSCO is poised to be extended for another year. ALSO READ: Kagame: Over 20,000 Burundi troops fuelling eastern DR Congo crisis Apart from Ngoga, during Friday’s Security Council briefing on MONUSCO, no other speaker talked about the plight of these Congolese Tutsi communities, the threat posed by the existence of the Kinshasa-backed genocidal FDLR militia which also threatens Rwanda’s security and territorial integrity, and the conduct of Burundian forces and their allied militias. Burundi has deployed more than 20,000 troops across key locations in South Kivu actively engaged in combat operations against the Banyamulenge population.
