A commander in Uvira, DR Congo’s 33rd military region, passes away
Brig Gen Daniel Mwaku Mbuluku, the commander of FARDC’s 33rd military region, which spans the provinces of South Kivu and Maniema, unexpectedly passed away on Friday, September 12. This is a major setback for the Congolese army coalition, especially for operations in the unstable east where AFC/M23 rebels have taken over large areas.
Mwaku’s death occurred one day after the rebel movement denounced the Congolese army and its allies—the Rwandan genocidal militia known as the FDLR, the Wazalendo militia, foreign mercenaries, and Burundian forces—for carrying out coordinated attacks against civilian populations in the area, resulting in the “barbaric slaughtering and systematic massacres” of innocent civilians.
Maj Gen Sylvain Ekenge, the army spokesperson, said that Mwaku died in a hospital in Uvira, the only major eastern city not yet taken by the AFC/M23 rebels, after experiencing an unexpected health crisis while on duty.
Uvira is the second-largest city in South Kivu after Bukavu, which was taken over by the rebels in February. It is located near Lake Tanganyika, about 25 kilometers from Bujumbura, Burundi.
Since his appointment on July 21 as part of larger military operations to restore Kinshasa’s authority, Mwaku had been in charge of the 33rd military area.
The recent nomination of Brig Gen Olivier Gasita as deputy commander of the 33rd military district had triggered violent protests in Uvira over the past few days.
Gasita, a Munyamulenge, was suspected of being a Tutsi infiltrate by the Wazalendo militia, a group of local militias backed by Kinshasa, who brutally opposed his nomination.
Even though the 33rd military region was apparently put down after a delegation from Kinshasa visited the area, it is still unclear who is in charge of it in light of Mwaku’s passing and the recent violent protests against Gasita.
