Burundi Loses Senior Commander Lt. Col. Athanase Minani in Deadly AFC/M23 Operation in South Kivu

A senior Burundian military officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Athanase Minani, who commanded the 8th Battalion of Burundian troops deployed in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has been killed during clashes with the AFC/M23 rebel group, military and local sources have confirmed.

According to reports, Lt. Col. Minani — a former officer of the Ex-FAB (Forces Armées Burundaises before military integration) — was killed in a night operation conducted between Wednesday and Thursday, December 3–4, 2025, in the Luvungi area of South Kivu province.

The operation is reported to have involved intense combat between Burundian forces, particularly units of the commandos, and fighters from the AFC/M23 movement, which has been expanding its operations across several territories in eastern DRC.

Sources on the ground say Burundi suffered significant losses during the operation. In addition to Lt. Col. Minani’s death, an undisclosed but reportedly high number of Burundian soldiers were killed. More than 100 soldiers were captured by AFC/M23 fighters, according to preliminary field reports.

Images obtained by Kigali Daily News, though too graphic for public release, appear to show bodies of soldiers killed using traditional weapons, suggesting close-range combat and a particularly brutal confrontation.

Lt. Col. Minani is considered the highest-ranking Burundian officer known to have been killed in the ongoing conflict in eastern Congo. His death marks a major setback for Burundi’s military deployment under regional security arrangements and bilateral operations targeting armed groups in the area.

The incident is expected to raise new concerns about the safety, strategy, and overall effectiveness of foreign troop deployments in the volatile region, where shifting alliances and escalating battles continue to destabilize communities.