DRC Forces Accused of Launching Drone Strikes on Banyamulenge Communities in South Kivu

Kigali, November 14, 2025 - Armed forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) have been accused of launching drone attacks on Mikenke, a village in Mwenga Territory, South Kivu Province, in an alleged attempt to target Banyamulenge civilians and leaders in displacement camps.

The strikes were reported at 8:00 a.m. on November 15, 2025, according to Congolese politician Moïse Nyarugabo, himself a member of the Banyamulenge community.

“Tshisekedi’s drones targeted the village of Mikenke, which is inhabited by civilians, and also hosts a camp for Banyamulenge whose villages were burned,” Nyarugabo said.“The numbers are not yet known, but there is no doubt that civilians must have been there.”

Nyarugabo further claimed to have “reliable information” indicating that FARDC forces, along with Burundian troops, Wazalendo militias, and the FDLR, are preparing new offensives in Minembwe and Mikenke, areas heavily populated by Banyamulenge communities.

He cited military movements in several locations - Point-Zéro, Mikalati, Kigazura, Marunde, Kipupu, Rugezi, and Mukoko - as evidence of imminent operations.

“Two generals, one Congolese and the other Burundian, are in that area preparing for the offensives. Unless the plan changes at the last minute, those who survived the Sukhoi and drone attacks may be bombed again,” he warned.

The Banyamulenge, a Tutsi-speaking minority community in South Kivu, have faced sustained attacks since 2017 from a coalition of armed groups that local activists say operates with government support.

According to the MRDP Twirwaneho movement, which advocates for Banyamulenge rights:

328,000+ people have been displaced

550 villages destroyed

41 health centres demolished

126+ churches attacked

Since October 16, residents of Minembwe have reportedly been cut off from market routes, accused by Burundian forces of “collaborating with enemies.”

Human rights observers warn that escalating military operations in South Kivu risk worsening an already dire humanitarian situation, while increasing the vulnerability of the Banyamulenge population, many of whom have been repeatedly displaced over the past decade.