Burundi Loses Senior Officer in AFC/M23 Drone Attack in Eastern DRC

BUJUMBURA / SOUTH KIVU - Burundi has lost another senior military officer following clashes in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Lt. Col. Patrice Manirakiza, a Burundian army officer, died on the morning of 24 December 2025 after nearly three weeks of medical treatment for injuries sustained in an AFC/M23 drone attack.

Lt. Col. Manirakiza was seriously wounded on 6 December 2025 in Luvungi, South Kivu Province, while stationed at the headquarters of the 18th Battalion of the Burundian army deployed in the DRC. He was immediately evacuated and admitted to Tanganyika Care Hospital, a facility that has treated many Burundian soldiers wounded in the ongoing conflict in eastern DRC.

Medical sources indicated that doctors were unable to stabilize his condition, as his wounds continued to deteriorate instead of healing. Physicians reportedly recommended his transfer to India for specialized treatment, but the Burundian military high command declined the request.

Sources in Bujumbura also confirmed that several other Burundian soldiers admitted to the same hospital have died in recent days, allegedly due to insufficient medical care.

Earlier this month, intense fighting in the Rusizi/Ruzizi Valley resulted in the deaths of numerous Burundian soldiers, with others captured by the AFC/M23, while surviving troops were forced to withdraw back to Burundi.

Lt. Col. Manirakiza’s death follows that of Lt. Col. Athanase Minani, who was killed on 4 December 2025 in a drone strike in the Lubarika area. Three soldiers guarding him were also killed in the same attack.

The incidents underscore the heavy toll the conflict continues to exact on foreign forces involved in the eastern DRC crisis.