War in Eastern DRC : Kinshasa and Gitega display military unity against the M23 - SOS Médias Burundi

War in Eastern DRC : Kinshasa and Gitega display military unity against the M23

SOS Médias Burundi

Bujumbura, May 27, 2026 — Amid persistent tensions in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), marked by ongoing fighting and the presence of several armed groups, authorities in Kinshasa and Gitega have reaffirmed their security cooperation. Congolese Deputy Prime Minister Guy Kabombo Muadiamvita, in charge of defense, paid an official visit to Burundi after a stop in Uvira, a strategic city in South Kivu located near Bujumbura, Burundi’s commercial capital and home to the main administrative institutions and United Nations agencies. This mission is part of the strengthening of bilateral agreements between the two countries in response to the regional security crisis.

Following a strategic stop in Uvira as part of his security assessment mission in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Congolese Deputy Prime Minister in charge of National Defense and Veterans Affairs, Guy Kabombo Muadiamvita, continued his diplomatic tour in Bujumbura, the commercial capital of Burundi.

Arriving Monday afternoon, the Congolese official was received Tuesday, May 26, by his Burundian counterpart, Minister of Defense Marie Chantal Nijimbere, in a ceremony marked by military honors.

Closed-door talks and military cooperation

Upon his arrival in Bujumbura, the two parties held a closed-door meeting focused on border security, security challenges in the sub-region, and strengthening military cooperation mechanisms between Kinshasa and Gitega.

Technical discussions bringing together experts from both countries also focused on evaluating areas of bilateral cooperation and accelerating the implementation of the defense agreement signed on March 6, 2023, between the two neighboring states.

This meeting reflects the stated commitment of Presidents Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo and Évariste Ndayishimiye to strengthen the strategic and historical ties between the two countries, which share land and lake borders.

Military support and recognition

In his address, the Congolese official, speaking on behalf of the Kinshasa government, expressed gratitude for the military support provided by Burundi in operations conducted in eastern DRC. He also paid tribute to the Burundian soldiers who fell in combat on the Congolese soil.

He emphasized the need to strengthen and accelerate the implementation of military cooperation agreements between the two states.

For her part, Defense Minister Marie Chantal Nijimbere welcomed this bilateral cooperation, deeming it essential for addressing the shared security challenges facing Burundi and the DRC.

Following the meeting, both parties approved the report of the work carried out by their experts over 48 hours, before signing a joint final communiqué.

Visit to the wounded and visit to the ICGLR

The Congolese Deputy Prime Minister’s trip also included a visit to Congolese soldiers wounded in action and hospitalized in Bujumbura, a gesture presented as a show of solidarity on behalf of President Félix Tshisekedi and the central government.

He also visited the headquarters of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), where he met with the Executive Secretary, Dr. Mubita Luwabelwa, to discuss preparations for upcoming regional meetings and the contributions of member states.

Military cooperation amid regional tensions

This visit comes amid intense military cooperation between Burundi and the DRC. Between August 2022 and December 2025, tens of thousands of Burundian soldiers were deployed in eastern Congo alongside the FARDC (Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo) and Kinshasa-aligned groups in operations against the M23 and its partners.

The M23, a rebel movement once again active in eastern DRC, resumed hostilities in late 2021. It controls several strategic areas in eastern Congo, including important urban and mining regions. It is now allied with the Congo River Alliance (AFC), led by Corneille Nangaa, former president of the DRC’s Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI). The coalition advocates for the establishment of a federal state in the DRC.

Kinshasa accuses Rwanda of supporting the M23, while Kigali rejects these accusations and asserts that the DRC and Burundi support the FDLR, a Rwandan Hutu armed group whose members are accused of participating in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis.

Despite these denials, a 2025 UN expert report mentioned the presence of several thousand Rwandan soldiers alongside the M23 rebels in eastern Congo.

On the ground, the fighting continues to cause significant displacement of civilians to neighboring countries and areas considered safer, despite numerous diplomatic initiatives and still fragile peace agreements in the Great Lakes region.

Following the withdrawal of M23 rebels from the city of Uvira last January, a city they had occupied for a month, and more recently from the Rusizi Plain, the Burundian army has carried out new large-scale deployments via Lake Tanganyika to South Kivu.

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