Heavy clashes broke out on Wednesday morning between the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) and the Mai Mai Makanaki militia, a member group of the broader Wazalendo coalition, in the restive eastern region of South Kivu.
According to Actualité, a Congolese news outlet, the fighting occurred in the Kasenga and Kakombe areas of Uvira Territory. Eyewitnesses reported intense gunfire exchanges as both sides battled for territorial control.
“Since yesterday evening, we saw FARDC soldiers entering Kasenga and Kakombe in large numbers. By morning, they were exchanging fire with the Wazalendo,” said one local resident.
The confrontation is believed to have started around 5:00 a.m. in Kasenga before spreading to surrounding hills in Uvira by 10:00 a.m., witnesses said.
The latest flare-up follows a string of tensions between the Congolese army and Wazalendo groups. On April 25, Wazalendo fighters launched coordinated attacks against FARDC positions, citing disagreements over military strategies against the rival M23/AFC coalition.
At the time, FARDC’s spokesperson in South Kivu, Lt. Marc Elongo, explained that Wazalendo’s anger stemmed from the army’s redeployment from Katongo to Fizi territory, which they viewed as a betrayal.
These hostilities come less than two weeks after the DRC government and M23/AFC signed a ceasefire agreement in Doha, Qatar, on April 23, aimed at creating a conducive environment for peace talks.
However, the ceasefire has stirred discontent among Wazalendo factions in both North and South Kivu. Their leaders argue they were sidelined from negotiations, despite being active participants in the conflict.
Assa Paluku Mahamba, a Wazalendo coordinator in North Kivu, voiced concerns that the talks could lead to M23 fighters being reintegrated into the national army—an outcome he believes would threaten the region’s fragile security balance.
The situation remains tense as local populations brace for further violence, with growing uncertainty over the future of peace efforts in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s volatile eastern provinces.
