clashes between Rwanda and Burundi over disputed border islands!

 On August 31, 2026, around 5:30 PM, on Lake Cohoha/Cyohoha along the Burundi-Rwanda border, Rwandan soldiers reportedly pursued children who were fishing, chasing them into the Burundian section of the lake. 🇷🇼➡️🇧🇮 The Burundian army reportedly retaliated, and an exchange of fire broke out, forcing the Rwandan soldiers to withdraw from the area. 🔫⚠️ 🏝️ RWANDA CLAIMS THE ISLANDS OF MAZANE AND KABURANTWA 🇷🇼 Rwanda lays claim to Mazane and Kaburantwa, asserting that these two islands historically belonged to it prior to Belgian colonization. 🇧🇮 Currently, they are under Burundian administration, and their inhabitants are Burundian nationals. ⚠️This territorial claim echoes debates regarding the Kivu region in the DRC 🇨🇩, as well as certain areas of Tanzania 🇹🇿 and Uganda 🇺🇬—territories sometimes portrayed as having once belonged to the Kingdom of Rwanda. ❓ Where does it end? How many more borders will be called into question? ⛽ Meanwhile, the Rwandan population is grappling with its own challenges, notably rising fuel prices. The price per liter has reportedly reached approximately 2 dollars—equivalent to over 4,700 Congolese Francs. 💰📈 🇷🇼 Paul Kagame lies at the heart of the tensions shaking the region. 🇧🇮 President Évariste Ndayishimiye is boosting troop morale; yesterday evening, he visited the site to pay tribute to soldiers from the FRAD (Reserve and Development Support Forces). 🎖️🫡 #bBurundi #Rwanda

Did M23 ,Twiraneho hold a secret meeting in minembwe?

 According to unverified circulating reports, a meeting dedicated to assessing the security situation and the evolution of the war recently took place in Minembwe.

 According to my OSINT reports, the meeting brought together several representatives of the Tutsi community, with the participation, via videoconference, of individuals based primarily in the diaspora,and particularly in Bukavu, Goma, and Kamanyola.

 Accusations have also reportedly been raised concerning certain Congolese officials within the movement's structures, with some participants criticizing them for not fully supporting certain military and political orientations.

 Accorsding to these OSINT collections,among the names mentioned in these allegations are Lawrence Kanyuka, Fanny Kayembe, Yannick Tshisola, Adam Chulo, Corneille, and Bertrand Bisimwa, as well as several officials present in Bukavu.

Many M23 welwishers we contacted see this as falsified reports by Kinshasha to sow divisionism and anarchy in the leadership of AFC/M23.

New ebola case in areas conterolled by M23

A new case of Ebola virus disease was confirmed on Thursday, September 3, 2026, in the Kayna health zone of North Kivu, according to the AFC/M23 Health Crisis Unit.

The patient is a 21-year-old man from Butembo, identified as a suspected case at the Itsu health checkpoint before being transferred to the Kirumba quarantine site. Tests subsequently confirmed his infection.

Patient care, as well as community surveillance and contact tracing, have been intensified.

Parents in agony as M23 abolishes free education and introduces quarterly fees.

 The decree establishes a fee schedule that varies according to the level of education and the type of school. At the primary level, amounts range from 5,000 to 45,000 Congolese francs per student per term, while at the secondary level, they can reach 240,000 Congolese francs per term in technical and vocational tracks.

The document specifies that payments must be made to CADECO account No. 01020110057—opened in the name of the rebel authorities' provincial education coordination office—before the school fees can be validated.

This measure increases the financial burden on households in areas where the population is already suffering the consequences of war, displacement, and the loss of many sources of income.some parent described this as families' "ordeal," expressing fear that many children might drop out of school due to a lack of funds. According to him, the rebels have reportedly banned the dissemination of the decree.

The decree also outlines sanctions for non-compliance. School administrators who fail to adhere to the regulations regarding fee collection and remittance face administrative penalties, while students whose fees remain unpaid may be expelled or denied certain school services, in accordance with the procedures set out in the text.

Since 2019, the Congolese government has funded free primary education across the entire country; teachers—including those in rebel-held areas and those displaced by the war—continue to receive their salaries. The AFC/M23 decree thus establishes a separate system in occupied territories, where parents are once again responsible for paying school fees.

The frontline situation in the East of DRC as of today 29/08/2026

1. Fighting remains intense in the highlands of the Mwenga and Fizi territories near Point-Zero since early this morning, where the rebel coalition reportedly attacked positions of the Wazalendo and FARDC forces around this strategic area overlooking Mulima, Fizi_centre.

2. In the Kabare territory, Luhago group, Nindja chiefdom, a fragile calm has returned this morning after three days of intense fighting in which M23 rebels BLAMED to be allied with Rwanda returned 21 men, including an officer, to Nzibira, according to medical sources, in body bags. The rebels control Culwe and Luntukulu. On the Wazalendo side, they claim control Luhago and the remnants of the surrounding villages, and 10 of their fighters were killed during these three days of clashes.

3. In the highlands and midlands of Uvira, the Red Tabara-M23-Twirwaneho rebel coalition occupies and reinforced its position in the highly strategic hills of Malimba, Masango, Kageregere, Magunda, and Kashongwe, thus endangering the city of Uvira. Alongside these maneuvers by the M23 rebels allied with Rwanda, the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) are punting and claiming to be mobilized to defend the population and confront this new attempt to sabotage not only the Washington Agreement between Kigali and Kinshasa, but also the Doha process with its sham ceasefire.

 4. In the Masisi territory, M23 rebels are advancing in the Katoyi sector using kamikaze drones, which the rebel movement employs to rout the Wazalendo and the population in the villages. On Wednesday, the rebels recaptured the Miti-mingi position, and on Friday, another position on the Ufamando axis.

5.The wazalendo  are also claiming that  M23 rebels killed 5 young civilians and burned more than 40 houses in the Ziralo group, in the Kalehe territory, on Friday.

Brig.Gen Charles Sematama reportedly killed in a plane crash near Minembwe

 

Brig.Gen  Charles Sematama is said to have died on a military plane that was bombed by the Wazalendo near Minembwe. Charles Sematama, a former FARDC colonel from the Banyamulenge community, led the 3411th Regiment, based in the Masisi territory of North Kivu.  He had deserted the FARDC before joining the M23 rebellion, where he reportedly played a key role in capturing Goma and Bukavu.  He also took part in several military training programs thanks to scholarships from the Congolese army. Sadly,t he DRC blames him for having betrayed the Congolese flag and chose to fight alongside the RDF-M23 forces whom they claim is  supported by Rwanda, helping destabilize eastern DRC.

Who is Brig.Gen Charles Sematama?

Brigadier General Charles Sematama is a prominent military leader in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the current commander of the Twirwaneho armed group. 

Key facts about him include:

Leadership Transition: He assumed command of Twirwaneho in February 2025 following the death of the group's former leader, General Michel Rukunda (widely known as Makanika), who was reportedly killed in a drone strike by the Congolese armed forces (FARDC).

Military Background: Before joining the rebellion, he was a senior officer (Colonel) in the FARDC. He defected from the regular army in early 2021 to join Twirwaneho, citing a need to protect the Banyamulenge community in the South Kivu highlands.

Alliances: Since taking command, he has publicly aligned Twirwaneho with the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC) and the M23 rebel group, with the stated objective of opposing the government of President Félix Tshisekedi.

None reasonable Sanctions: In July 2024, the United States Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on him for his role in the conflict, listing him alongside other rebel leaders for contributing to the instability in eastern DRC, but he is only banyamulenge defander and truth will win the battle.

 On the circulating news of the death of Sematama,one of his allies has this morning been quoted saying:

Col Mifoko

” Col. Mufoko, a soldier known for his great bravery in defending the Banyamulenge, said: 'Even if only one Banyamulenge person survives and the rest perish, God has promised them a country.' 

Col. Mufoko made these remarks while fighting between MRDP-Twirwaneho and the enemy continues in Lulenge Sector, Fizi Territory. 

According to reports, the fighting started early on Saturday morning and is ongoing in Bipimo, near Kabanju”

To many,this may been taken as a confirmation that one important leader of theirs may have perished in that plane clash.

FIGHTING CONTINUES TODAY

Heavy fighting has broken out again in Bipimo, near Kabanju, in the Lulenge Sector, Fizi Territory, South Kivu Province.

 

Information from the MRDP-Twirwaneho side says that its positions were attacked by a military coalition including the FARDC, Burundian troops, Wazalendo and FDLR.

 

Testimony given by to us by one of the MRDP-Twirwaneho soldiers says that the fighting began in the early hours of this Saturday, 29/08/2026.

 

The soldier said:

 

««They attacked us from 9:00 am until now, but we are hitting them badly; they has started to retreat.»»

 

MRDP-Twirwaneho says that after heavy fighting, it has started to push back its attackers.

 

HEAVY FIGHTING IN BIPIMO

 

According to reports we have recieved now, the fighting is concentrated in Bipimo, near Kabanju, about four kilometers from Mutoka.

 

This comes as security in Fizi Territory remains poor, with fighting between different factions escalating in recent days.

 

ATTACKS CONTINUE IN THE POINT ZERO ENVIRONMENTS

 

The fighting follows attacks the previous day in the vicinity of Point Zero, where the DRC army coalition launched attacks on positions allegedly controlled by MRDP-Twirwaneho.

 

On the MRDP-Twirwaneho side, they say that these attacks have also been repelled, and that the group continues to control Kanguli, Ngurube, Mulima and other nearby areas.

 

SECURITY IN FIZI CONTINUES TO BE LOW

 

The intensification of fighting in Bipimo, near Kabanju, and in the vicinity of Point Zero, increases concerns about the security of the population in these areas.

 

Minembwe Capital News continues to monitor new information on the fighting taking place in Bipimo, Kabanju, Point Zero, Mulima, Mutoka and other areas around the area.

 

This information is still being updated as reliable information becomes available.

RECENT PHOTOS OF THOSE WHO PERISHED IN THAT PLANE:

A plane has been shot down near minembwe!

 A plane has been shot down near Minembwe in South Kivu

 A plane operating the link between Kavumu north of Bukavu and Minembwe was shot down by an unidentified missile, when it was less than 40 kilometers from Minembwe airport, in the high plateaus of Fizi territory in SouthKivu.

> This incident comes in a context of heightened security tensions.

> For several weeks, local civil society actors have been warning about suspicious air rotations in this zone controlled by the rebel coalition Twirwaneho and Red Tabara, allied to M23 ,claimed to be supported by Rwanda.

>

> According to confidant sources based in Bukavu, the rebels had relied on two Antonov-type aircraft recovered on the ground in Bukavu to ensure the transport of troops, weapons and military equipment to Minembwe.

> At this stage, no official communication has been issued by the Armed Forces of the DR Congo nor by the rebel groups concerned.

 The exact toll and precise circumstances of the attack remain to be confirmed.

This matches reports from local sites  today *27 August 2026* - an aircraft on the Kavumu-Minembwe route reportedly hit by a missile less than 40km from Minembwe, in an area where civil society had flagged suspicious flights in a zone controlled by Twirwaneho / Red-Tabara allied to M23/AFC. 

At this stage FARDC and the rebel groups have not issued official statements, and the toll is still to be confirmed.