South Kivu: AFC/M23 warns of “imminent genocide” against Banyamulenge civilians

The AFC/M23 has warned that Banyamulenge civilians in eastern DR Congo face an imminent risk of genocide, citing a pattern of coordinated attacks, humanitarian blockades, and communications blackouts in the Hauts Plateaux region. The region is located in South Kivu Province. On Monday, the Movement said in a statement that the situation had sharply deteriorated after it withdrew its forces from the city of Uvira on January 17, a move it said was intended to support ceasefire efforts and create conditions for renewed peace talks with the Kinshasa regime. ALSO READ: Sange: DR Congo army blamed for grenade attack that killed five Instead, AFC/M23 claims the withdrawal was followed by what it described as a rapid militarisation of the Hauts Plateaux, with Minembwe and surrounding areas becoming the epicentre of violence targeting Banyamulenge civilians. “AFC/M23 cannot remain passive in the face of repeated, targeted, and systematic violence which, given its nature, scale, and apparent intent, represents a real and imminent threat of genocide against the Banyamulenge community,” the statement said. The community has over the years been the target of the coalition of forces allied to Kinshasa, including the genocidal FDLR militia responsible for the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. ALSO READ: DR Congo: Twirwaneho warns of govt attacks on Uvira, Minembwe highlands According to the statement, coalition forces comprising the Congolese armed forces (FARDC), Wazalendo militias, the FDLR, foreign mercenaries and Burundian armed forces have since launched coordinated operations against Banyamulenge communities. “These forces are acting in a coordinated manner,” the Movement said, accusing the coalition of pursuing operations aimed at ethnic cleansing. The warning comes amid a series of deadly incidents reported in South Kivu following the withdrawal from Uvira. On January 29, at least five civilians were killed when a grenade exploded in a busy market in Sange town, about 30 kilometres north of Uvira. AFC/M23 blamed coalition forces aligned with the Congolese army for the attack. The movement also accused authorities in Kinshasa of imposing a total blockade around Minembwe, restricting the movement of people and goods, and worsening what it described as an already dire humanitarian situation. “The death toll and the scale of material damage remain impossible to assess accurately due to the total shutdown of internet access imposed by the Kinshasa authorities,” the statement said. According to the movement, large numbers of civilians have been displaced, with many forced to flee into surrounding forests to escape the violence. Similar concerns have been raised by the Banyamulenge self-defence group Twirwaneho, which is part of the AFC/M23 alliance. In a statement issued on January 27, the group accused the same coalition of forces of targeting Banyamulenge villages in Mitamba, Kajoka and Point Zéro. “The objective of these death squads is to exterminate the Banyamulenge population by using famine and isolation as weapons of war,” said Twirwaneho coordinator Colonel Kamasa Ndakize Welcome. The group said the humanitarian blockade, combined with the shutdown of telephone and internet networks, was a deliberate strategy to conceal abuses and prevent victims from communicating with the outside world. The escalation of violence has unfolded even as diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the conflict continue. On February 2, the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo and AFC/M23 signed in Doha a mandate issued by the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), reaffirming their commitment to the ceasefire and the Doha Framework Agreement for Peace signed on November 15, 2025. The signing took place during a meeting of the Ceasefire Monitoring and Verification Mechanism organised by the State of Qatar, with the United States and the African Union participating as observers, the Republic of Togo attending as the African Union-designated mediator, as well as MONUSCO and the ICGLR. The meeting agreed on measures to strengthen monitoring and verification of the ceasefire and tasked MONUSCO with deploying an initial monitoring mission to Uvira in the coming days. However, AFC/M23 said the situation on the ground stands in stark contrast to commitments made at the negotiating table. “These attacks are ongoing at the time of this communiqué,” the movement said, accusing Kinshasa and its allies of flagrantly breaching the ceasefire despite ongoing negotiations. Faced with what it describes as systematic violence against civilians, AFC/M23 appealed to the international community to act urgently. “We urge international partners to act without delay, activating the necessary mechanisms to halt these mass atrocities and to compel the Kinshasa regime to withdraw its armed forces from Minembwe and its surroundings,” the statement said. According to the movement, such action is essential “to halt the ongoing attacks, prevent the commission of genocide in silence, and ensure effective, durable, and credible protection for the civilian populations of the Hauts Plateaux.”

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South Kivu: AFC/M23 warns of “imminent genocide” against Banyamulenge civilians