The AFC/M23 coalition in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is continuing its targeted extermination operation against Banyamulenge civilians

The spokesperson for the AFC/M23 movement stated on Saturday, December 13, that the Congolese coalition forces are still conducting a planned, methodical, and targeted extermination campaign against the Banyamulenge Tutsi civilian population in the South Kivu Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with the direct and active participation of the Burundian army.

On December 10, the AFC/M23 declared that it had taken control of Uvira, a vital city that has served as the main base of support for the government army coalition for several months.

AFC/M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka claimed that Sukhoi-25 fighter jets, combat helicopters, and military drones operating from neighboring 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” during the course of Friday, December 12, and the early hours of Saturday, December 13, 2025.

“These strikes are part of a coordinated program of terror, destruction, and forced displacement of a people recognized on the basis of its ethnic identity, and they intentionally target defenseless civilians, killing women and children in the process. Such actions are crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Amb. Martin Ngoga, Rwanda’s Permanent Representative to the UN, called on the Security Council to assess the situation in South Kivu province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the government and its allies are extirpating Congolese Tutsi communities.

Ngoga stated during a Security Council briefing on the UN mission in DR Congo (MONUSCO) that the Doha Framework and the Washington Peace Agreement, two complementing tracks aimed at restoring peace, should be taken into account while extending the mission’s mandate in the war-torn nation.

Ngoga stated, “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,” referring to the two peace processes between the AFC/M23 rebels and the DR Congo, respectively.

As MONUSCO’s mandate is about to be extended for an additional year, he called for rigorous impartiality and political neutrality, support for the implementation of a ceasefire, and political dialogue, among other principles.

The predicament of these Congolese Tutsi communities, the threat posed by the existence of the genocidal FDLR militia, which is backed by Kinshasa and jeopardizes Rwanda’s security and territorial integrity, and the actions of Burundian forces and their affiliated militias were not discussed by anyone other than Ngoga during Friday’s Security Council briefing on MONUSCO.

More than 20,000 Burundian soldiers have been stationed in strategic areas of South Kivu, where they are aggressively fighting the Banyamulenge people.