Bertrand Bisimwa, vice-president of the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN), the movement led by former DR Congo President Joseph Kabila, has called for immediate humanitarian intervention in the highlands of South Kivu, warning that a prolonged blockade by the government coalition has left civilians facing starvation and disease. ALSO READ: DR Congo: Concern as Minembwe faces another blockade Bisimwa said the situation in the Fizi-Uvira-Mwenga highlands had reached an extreme humanitarian emergency, with residents increasingly deprived of food, medicines and other basic necessities. He said this on Friday, November 6, at a meeting with humanitarian organisations, urging them to move beyond discussions about future projects and take immediate action to save lives. “We invited you to request an immediate intervention, today, or at the very latest, tomorrow, to save lives that can still be saved,” he said. According to Bisimwa, the region has endured nearly nine years of conflict, initially involving tribal militias. He noted that it had recently shifted and now involves the Congolese armed forces (FARDC) and the Burundian army, fighting alongside the FDLR genocidal militia, mercenaries and Wazalendo groups. “One of the main strategies of this war was to destroy the means of subsistence of the population, burning homes and food reserves, looting storage places and systematically destroying livestock, which constituted the essential part of the region's economy,” he said. The situation has deteriorated further, he said, as military operations involving drones, fighter jets and heavy artillery have been accompanied by restrictions on the movement of goods and humanitarian supplies. “Those among the population who do not die from bullets, shrapnel, or bombs are left to perish from hunger or disease,” Bisimwa said, citing shortages of food, sugar, soap, salt and essential medicines. ALSO READ: Targeted campaign: Sixteen months of drone strikes on Minembwe He outlined several supply routes that have been blocked or rendered inaccessible, cutting off communities in the highlands from markets and essential goods. The Point Zéro-Mukoko-Mukela route, which connects the highlands to Fizi, Baraka and Lake Tanganyika, has been blocked since February 2025. The Kabanja-Kitumba-Lulenge route is affected by attacks involving FARDC and allied forces, while the Kipupu-Itala and Rugabano routes to the west are completely closed. Markets in these areas are no longer operating, Bisimwa said, adding that a large part of the population has been displaced. The Mitamba market, previously a major supply point for communities in the Bijombo administrative area in Uvira territory, has also closed. Bisimwa said FARDC, Burundian forces and their allies occupied the surrounding areas, including the ridge overlooking Uvira. The Rurambo-Lemera-Kaziba route, which connects the area to the Ruzizi Plain and Bukavu, has similarly been affected, with the same forces positioned at Masango, Ruhuha and Rurambo. ALSO READ: 315 killed in Kinshasa attacks on Minembwe in five months - report Bisimwa argued that the government coalition’s deployment had failed to produce significant gains in regaining control of Minembwe and other strategically important locations. Instead, he said, its consequences for civilians had been devastating. “It is more than just an encirclement; it is akin to a Nazi-style concentration camp,” he said, describing the restrictions as collective punishment of civilians. The crisis has also been compounded by the destruction of homes and agricultural production. Bisimwa said that during attacks between May and July 2026, FARDC and Burundian troops destroyed fields and burnt crops from previous growing seasons in Minembwe. Hundreds of homes were also demolished or left uninhabitable after their roofs were damaged or destroyed by bombs and gunfire. “Consider, during this rainy season, how a population with virtually nothing left to eat can survive the nights without shelter, exposed to the elements and all the dire consequences that follow,” he said. ALSO READ: FRN has ‘no intention to advance towards Uvira’: spokesperson Bisimwa said that before markets stopped functioning altogether, shortages had driven prices to extreme levels, some increasing by as much as 400 per cent. He said the consequences were increasingly visible in cases of kwashiorkor and other illnesses associated with acute malnutrition, while deaths from starvation had also been recorded over recent weeks. “This is, in every sense, a humanitarian catastrophe,” Bisimwa said. He called on humanitarian organisations to organise emergency deliveries by road or air, pointing to the Baraka-Fizi-Point Zéro route towards Mikenge and Minembwe as currently the possible option. He urged the organisations to seek passage authorisations from authorities in Kinshasa or military commanders operating in the affected areas, arguing that humanitarian access should already be guaranteed under the ceasefire arrangements. ALSO READ: Kabila faults Tshisekedi for 'choosing war' over peace in DR Congo He further referred to commitments made by the AFC/M23, the precursor to FRN, and the Congolese government during the April meeting in Montreux, Switzerland to remove obstacles to humanitarian convoys. “All parties signed this commitment, including the government in Kinshasa. There is, therefore, no reason or valid excuse to justify inaction...Action must be taken,” “Necessary initiatives must be taken to ensure that Kinshasa facilitates the passage of humanitarian convoys. If it fails that, it should accept responsibility for its stance... Anything less would amount to a guilty and complicit silence.” Bisimwa said.
