M23 condemns the ongoing slaughter of Banyamulenge by the DR Congo

In South Kivu Province, Bertrand Bisimwa, the deputy coordinator of the AFC/M23 rebellion, has once again condemned the Congolese government for its ceaseless persecution and murder of defenseless Banyamulenge residents in Minembwe, Uvira, and the neighboring villages.

This comes a week after he issued a warning that the Congolese army coalition’s drones, Sukhoi fighter jets, and mortars attacked and destroyed communities in South Kivu Province that were home to unarmed Banyamulenge residents. In a March 4 post on X, Bisimwa claimed that the Congolese army coalition, which consists of Burundian military forces, Rwandan genocidal militias known as the FDLR, and Congolese militias known as Wazalendo from Uvira and those who fled Bukavu, is attacking peaceful populations with impunity on behalf of the Kinshasa regime.

Remaining members of the masterminds of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi created the FDLR, a terrorist group located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo that poses a major security danger to neighboring Rwanda.

The M23 leader took to X once more on Monday, March 10, claiming that “drones were flying over Minembwe, capturing images of targets” in the morning.

“The populace was already concerned,” he continued. However, the worst was yet to come. I must remind you that there is neither a frontline nor a combat in Minembwe, where Sukhoi fighter jets destroyed villages twelve minutes ago. There are no Mai-Mai elements or FARDC [Congolese army] personnel in the area. Only the civilian population, of which Banyamulenge make up the majority.

The Minembwe airstrip, which is only utilized for humanitarian and commercial purposes in this remote area where the FARDC and armed groups block all other roads, was one of the targeted locations. It is impossible for any Munyamulenge to go to Baraka, Fizi, or Uvira, much less Mwenga. This runway was the only way to transfer medicine, other necessary supplies, and evacuate the sick. A plane that is owned by my nation’s government has now damaged it.

“Does your silence not trouble you?” Bisimwa asked the Congolese government, other institutions, especially the Parliament, and the world community in response to his condemnation of “this situation.”
In 2021, the FDLR, more than 10,000 Burundian soldiers, 1,600 European mercenaries, and South Africa-led SADC forces joined the Congolese government army alliance to fight the M23 insurgents.
M23 is currently a member of the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC), a broader rebel group that was established in December 2023.

After defeating a sizable Congolese army coalition that included hundreds of European mercenaries, FDLR, Wazalendo, Burundian armed forces, South African-led SADC forces, and UN peacekeepers, the rebels have been advancing across North and South Kivu provinces since January, liberating large areas of land. On January 27, the rebels took control of Goma, the capital of North Kivu Province, and restored order after intense combat sparked by persistent violations of an earlier ceasefire by the Congolese army coalition.

After visiting Goma, former Belgian senator Alain Destexhe wrote a lengthy post on X stating that since Goma fell into M23’s hands, a new order has been put in place that permits the restoration of life activities, with notable improvements in the majority of cases, going far beyond the “chaos” that existed prior to the city’s capture.

The rebels made another move as the security situation in South Kivu worsened due to reports of atrocities, bloodshed, and looting spread by the Congolese army coalition. On February 15, they moved south to seize the regional capital, Bukavu, after first seizing the vital Kavumu airport. Before that, they were being urged to secure the entire city and go in as soon as possible. People in North and South Kivu regions that are under rebel control are glad that the Congolese army coalition is not interfering with their tranquility.

The Hauts-Plateaux of South Kivu, especially Minembwe and the neighboring territories, the Banyamulenge’s homeland, continue to experience a concerning level of violence and insecurity. In addition to forcing thousands of Banyamulenge to evacuate after their villages were set on fire, waves of violence in the area since August 2018 have claimed hundreds of lives. Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania were among the neighboring countries to which thousands of people fled.

The AFC is pushing for governance that protects all Congolese citizens, upholds fundamental human rights, and tackles the underlying causes of conflict.
Among other evils, the rebel movement has pledged to eradicate the genocide mentality, corruption, nepotism, and tribalism that are pervasive in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

“We urge the world to see the situation for what it truly is and to reject harmful misinformation,” Bisimwa wrote in a previous post. The claims that AFC-M23 has violated human rights are untrue. For example, it is easily verifiable that the mass rapes of female inmates had place before to AFC-M23’s arrival in Goma. The challenges that lie ahead are enormous.

We don’t assert that decades of state indifference can be reversed in a single day. However, we’re dedicated to making a difference. Although we have never chosen war, we are not scared to fight for our lives. Any political discussion that tackles the underlying causes of this war and opens the door to a sustainable peace in our nation has been categorically rejected by the Kinshasa dictatorship. Talk is the first step toward peace. Peace will materialize sooner if we communicate.