FDLR has killed a 19-year-old woman and 15 cows in Masisi, according to AFC/M23

Attacks by Congolese government coalition forces in Masisi territory, eastern DR Congo on Thursday, reportedly resulted in the death of a 19-year-old girl and 15 cows.

According to AFC/M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka, the assaults on the Mweso and Kitshanga regions were executed by the FDLR, which is supported by Kinshasa.

In a post on Friday on X, Kanyuka denounced the “barbaric and despicable crimes committed each time [the government coalition] initiates a generalised war, emerging with shocking cruelty.”

Kanyuka stated that the FDLR militiamen intentionally aim at the “livelihoods of civilian populations in a strategy of terror, collective punishment, and economic strangulation.”

The FDLR, supported by Kinshasa, is included in a coalition that consists of the Congolese armed forces, the Burundi National Defence Force, Wazalendo, and foreign mercenaries.

The assault occurred as the AFC/M23 rebel movement charged Kinshasa with initiating extensive attacks that breached a ceasefire established in Doha, Qatar, in 2025.

The movement has asserted that the reported operations pose a risk of escalating the conflict and exacerbating an already delicate humanitarian situation in eastern DR Congo.

The recent attacks occurred in the regions of Rubaya, Kitendebwa, Kashihe, and Kiduveri.