Acidic Security

  The road blockage on the Beni-Butembo road is attributed to rain and repeated breakdowns of heavy trucks. For the past two days, long lines of vehicles have been reported in Kisalala, in the Maboya area. DOTT Services maintains that the road itself has no major defects, pointing instead to the improper loading of heavy trucks, some exceeding 150 tons, which are unsuitable for this infrastructure. Authorities are urging patience, assuring the public that the disruptions are temporary and related to ongoing modernization work.

   The Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) confirmed on Friday, December 26, 2025, the forced withdrawal of M23-AFC rebel troops from the center of Uvira, in South Kivu province. According to Second Lieutenant Mbuyi Kalonji Reagan, spokesperson for the Congolese army in the Sokola 2 South operational sector of South Kivu, this was not a voluntary withdrawal, but rather a forced one. The rebels were compelled by the FARDC to leave Uvira after four days of fighting. “This is not a voluntary withdrawal, but a forced withdrawal, following military pressure from the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo, which led these terrorists to withdraw from downtown Uvira,” he stated. He indicated that the Congolese army succeeded in sinking two M23-AFC rebel boats stationed at the port of Kalundu, carrying military equipment belonging to this rebellion supported by the Rwandan army, thus forcing the rebels to establish their new headquarters more than 20 km f...

Our intelligence  sources around Kinshasha has reported on intent of FARDC to carry on massive recruitments this end of year festive period.That all candidates registered for the national entrance examination to military schools that the entrance examinations will be held from December 27 to 28, 2025 throughout the entire country.

Lieutenant-Colonel Patrice Manirakiza, who commanded the 18th battalion of the Burundian army that had facilitated the fight against the AFC/M23 in the Democratic Republic of Congo, died on Wednesday, December 24, 2025. The officer died at Tanganyika Care Hospital in Bujumbura from his wounds, where he had been ill for more than two weeks. On December 6, Lt. Col Manirakiza was shot in the Luvungi area of ​​South Kivu province, while the troops he was leading were engaged in combat with AFC/M23 rebels. Those who were with him when he was shot said that he was hit by a drone strike. When he saw it, he immediately asked his guard to enter his sleeping quarters, pack everything and leave the barracks. As the soldier entered to pack his belongings, Lt. Col Manirakiza was hit by a second bomb, seriously injuring him, and reports say he was the only one injured. The soldier died while reports say the bomb had damaged his internal organs, including his kidneys and intestines, as well as his le...

The series of arrests within the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) continues with the detention, on Sunday, December 21, 2025, of General Dieudonné Muhima Batechi, commander of the strategic Kamina military base. He is accused of embezzling public funds and military rations, in the context of an intensified fight against corruption within the Congolese army. This arrest brings to at least 22 the number of generals detained since the beginning of this vast operation to "moralize" the armed forces, initiated by the General Staff of the Armed Forces. General Muhima Batechi is not unknown: a former right-hand man of the controversial General Muhindo Akili, known as "Mundos," himself under sanctions from the European Union and the United States for serious human rights violations, he is also alleged to have been involved in dubious affairs, notably the suspected plot surrounding the assassination of Colonel Mamadou Ndala. According to several milit...

President Museveni has ordered the dissolution of the UPDF Fisheries Protection Unit after an intelligence probe found mismanagement, overfishing and alleged extortion of fishermen. The unit’s roles have been handed over to the UPDF Marine Forces, and landing site committees have been scrapped. UPDF says the unit is now under Marine command. Sources say Lt Col Mercy Tukahirwa, who commanded the unit, is to be redeployed, though UPDF says the unit is now under Marine Forces command.

  Major General Padiri Muhizi Jonas was arrested by the relevant authorities of congolese military intelligence  during an operation conducted by the Military Anti-Patriotic Action Detection Unit (DEMIAP). This military officer joins the ranks of several other generals arrested on charges of treason during this war. According to Intelligence survey,While some compatriots encourage the wave of arrests of officers accused of colluding with whom they blame to be "the enemy of the government" to, "serve as an example," others see this as a weakening of the congolese army. According to OSINT collections,it seems most of the collaborators of FARDC from Tutsi and hutu communities of  kivu are not happy at how officers from this area are being arrested yet they are the ones fighting harder more than them. They lament that! "Why was Masunzu was imprisoned yet  he did not engage in any fighting, allegedly because Nzibira was captured during peace talks. One asked,don...

 

Three 4 days ago we learnt that the importation of starlink devices were under intelligence  scrutiny.This was Followed by a directive to URA custom officers at all entry points not to allow importation of Star Link internet devices. Various   reports and rumours from various sections  indicate that security operatives are now hunting for whoever has or uses the StarLink gadgets. Intelligence reports say, the gadgets are capable of staying serving internet even if servers are switched off from mukono based statelite connections. Many intellectuals sympathizing with government claim that such gadgets may be used by anti-gorvenment agents and bodies to disorganize the government programs especially the election period. Many Opposition intellectuals linked to NUP claim that since there is a planned internet shut down during elections, security fears that opposition mainly National Unity Platform  may take advantage of StarLink to organise protests. According to var...

 Kinshasa:  The High Military Court announced the opening this Friday, December 19, of the trial of General Philémon Yav, who is being prosecuted on two counts. The first involves treason and inciting soldiers to commit acts contrary to their duty and discipline, while the second concerns treason and participation in an insurrection, according to the court's docket. Lieutenant General Philémon Yav was arrested on Monday, September 19, 2022, and transferred to Makala Central Prison. This FARDC (Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo) officer was in command of five provinces: North Kivu, South Kivu, Ituri, Maniema, and Tshopo.

  The Chief of Defence Forces and Senior Presidential Adviser for Special Operations, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba this afternoon met with Her Excellency Lisa Chesney, UK High Commissioner to Uganda. The meeting happened at the Special Forces Command headquarters in Entebbe.  The CDF and the UK High Commissioner discussed a proposal to deploy UK military medical personnel at the UPDF National Referral Hospital. This proposal is under review by the UK government. The two leaders also explored UK’s support to the UPDF training schools.  They reaffirmed mutual respect and agreed to sustain high-level engagements to further strengthen cooperation. This meeting follows a previous discussion between the CDF and the High Commissioner in October, underscoring the ongoing high-level engagement between the two nations. They discussed deepening UK–UPDF cooperation, including medical support and training, and reaffirmed commitment to continued high-level engagement.

 Uganda will host a summit of regional heads of state this coming Sunday to address the rapidly deteriorating security situation in eastern DRC, as fighting around Uvira heightens fears of a wider regional conflict.  Preparations for the meeting are in high gear and the ministry of external affairs is prepared to host this important meeting. The meeting will focus on recent advances by the AFC/M23 armed group in South Kivu province  particularly the capture of Uvira and the growing humanitarian crisis,with the meeting's main target of avoiding a regional war. With M23 having announced it's withdrawal from Uvira as commanded by USA,many see it's withdrawal as a tactical move by Rwanda. According to our sources, rather than retreating to Kamanyola or returning to Rwanda, the majority of Rwandan soldiers present in Uvira have chosen to head towards the highlands and middle plateaus of Uvira territory. They are currently moving towards the Fizi and Menembwe regions and their ...

  Reports indicate that Gen. Muhoozi has ordered Uganda Prisons Service to be under Standby Class One order from December 15, 2025, to February 15, 2026, as part of heightened security measures ahead of the festive season and the January 15, 2026, general elections. For those Not familiar with security matters, standby Class One is the highest state of operational readiness within Uganda’s uniformed security services. When declared, it places the entire institution on maximum alert to respond swiftly to any security threat, emergency, or unusual situation. In this case, the declaration coincides with a politically sensitive period as Ugandans prepare to vote for a new president, as well as parliamentary and local government leaders. In a press statement, commissioner general of Prisons Dr Johnson Byabashaija directed all prison units across the country to intensify security, intelligence gathering, and coordination with sister security and intelligence agencies during the two-month...

  CDF Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba urged newly promoted UPDF officers to embrace greater responsibility and integrity. The decorated officers include Lt. Gens. Jack Bakasumba and Francis Okello; Maj. Gens. James Kinaalwa, Deus Sande, Charles Byanyima, William Bainomugisha & Christopher Ddamulira; and Brig. Gens. Mcdans Kamugira, Fred Zakye & Paddy Ankunda, among others.

  In a strategic enhancement of Kenya’s air defense architecture, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has transferred a SPYDER (Surface-to-Air Python and Derby) air defense battery, valued at Ksh 3.4 billion, to President William Ruto. The delivery, executed via an IDF-operated heavy air cargo sortie, reflects deepening bilateral defense cooperation and significantly upgrades Kenya’s aerial threat interdiction capacity. The SPYDER system, developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, is a highly mobile, multi-role, short- to medium-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) platform engineered for tactical air defense operations. It is optimized for rapid target acquisition and simultaneous multi-target engagement against manned aircraft, rotary-wing platforms, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), including low-observable and high-speed incursions. System Architecture and Combat Capability. The SPYDER platform integrates Python-5 and Derby missile interceptors, leveraging dual guidan...

  If  Paul Kagame were to open a new front against Burundi using eastern DRC as a rear base, it would mark the beginning of a far wider regional war. According to multiple political, diplomatic, and military indications, Burundi would not face such an aggression alone. Bujumbura would almost certainly receive robust diplomatic backing, significant political support, and substantial logistical assistance in terms of weapons, equipment, and manpower from regional and extra-regional actors. In that scenario, it is hard to see this new front being easy for  Paul Kagame to manage. Rather, it could become the overextension that begins to unravel what many of his critics describe as a brutal satanic regime in Kigali. At present,  Paul Kagame appears to be weighing two highly risky strategic paths. On one side is the option of directly attacking Burundi from positions in and around Uvira, where his RDF–M23 forces are heavily entrenched themselves. From Uvira to Bujumbura is ...

Gen. Yoweri Museveni who is the commander in chief of Uganda’s military  appointed the former Deputy Director of the Internal Security Organisation, Col. Emmy Katabazi as Senior Presidential Advisor and Coordinator of Security and Intelligence. The docket of the Coordinator of Security and Intelligence Services has been vacant since 2012, when Gen. David Sejusa, who had been the coordinator, fell out with the establishment. Katabazi served as the Deputy Director General of the ISO, a position where he often interacted with students and youth leaders to promote patriotism, discipline, and national development.

Following the fall of the strategic city of Uvira, President Félix Tshilombo is attempting to reorganize the army by appointing General Ichalingoza Nduru as Chief of Staff of the Congolese army. But according to sources close to the Presidency, all his courtiers are opposed, claiming that this general is of Ugandan origin, a product of mixed ancestry. The president's loyalists want General John Nkashama or Constant Ndima, one of these two generals, to be appointed. The president is opposed to appointing either of them. Sayings inside the army has it that Uganda's  Yoweri Museveni, is putting pressure on President Félix Tshisekedi to appoint the Ugandan Ichalingoza Nduru as Chief of Staff of the army. The Democratic Republic of Congo and President Félix Tshisekedi have reached a crossroads! .....NE.....

According to several local sources in North Kivu, journalist and former Union pour la Nation Congolaise (UNC) member, Magloire Paluku, was assassinated on Wednesday, evening, 10th December 2025, in front of his house in Goma. Reports suggest he was shot with a pistol fitted with a silencer as he returned home, in what appears to be a targeted killing linked to internal tensions within the M23/AFC movement. Paluku, once known as a media figure and political activist, had a long and controversial trajectory at the intersection of Congolese politics and armed movements. Initially based in Kinshasa at the beginning of the RDF–M23 war in November 2021, the highly ambitious Paluku was actively seeking a position in President Tshisekedi’s government. Despite multiple attempts, the appointment he hoped for never materialised.  After this prolonged wait, Paluku returned to Goma, where he initially presented himself as a defender of the Congolese population and a vocal critic of Criminal Pau...

After Uvira, the South Kivu provincial government has temporarily relocated to the town of Baraka in Fizi. The first official statement from the South Kivu provincial government was issued from Baraka, in the Fizi territory. According to this statement, 413 people, including women and children, were killed in Katogota, in the Uvira territory. The government denounces serious human rights violations and ceasefire violations, while confirming the presence of Rwandan soldiers, AFC/M23 elements, and mercenaries in the Uvira region. Faced with the intensification of fighting, the South Kivu provincial authorities fled and retreated to Baraka, located about 100 kilometers from Uvira, along National Route 5. More than 200,000 internally displaced persons have been registered.

  Baraka-Fizi is the new provincial capital of South Kivu province, following the fall of Uvira on December 10th. In a statement from the governor's office, denouncing what it calls a "blatant violation of the ceasefire" signed in the aforementioned city, the governor accuses the rebels of a "massacre."

Magloire Paluku, a Congolese journalist and former member of the AFC/M23, was shot dead on Wednesday in the streets of Goma, within the M23 movement . Magloire Paluku Kavunga, 58, born on December 12, 1966, in Butembo, was a well-known cultural figure in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. A journalist, writer, poet, musician, comedian, and radio host, he was also the founder of Radio Kivu 1, an influential media outlet in the region. A close associate of Corneille Nangaa, he had served as a cultural and artistic advisor at the Congolese Ministry of Culture before joining the AFC/M23 after working as the ministry's chief of staff. In July 2024, Magloire Paluku was sentenced to death in the trial against Corneille Nangaa and 24 other co-defendants before the Gombe Military Court. They were prosecuted for war crimes, treason, and participation in an insurrection in the east of the country. His name appeared on the list of 25 defendants, alongside, notably, the former president of t...

  The first images of the M23's capture of Uvira are starting to circulate. In this photo, Willy Ngoma, military spokesperson for this politico-military platform, poses in front of Uvira's town hall with Colonel Alfred Majivuno (on the right), an intelligence officer within the AFC/M23 army.

According to local leaders interviewed on site, they still claim that the city is under the joint control of the FARDC and Wazalendo, supported by their Burundian ally, with no confirmed presence of the M23 rebels. The provincial governor, Jean JacquesPurusi, has formally denied rumors of the rebels taking Uvira.  Brigadier General Amuli Civiri, recently appointed head of operations and intelligence for the 33rd Military Region, has been arrested since yesterday. According to our sources, this disciplinary measure follows "poorly given orders" to the #FARDC and #Wazalendo. His recent appointment to replace General Olivier Gasita, who was challenged by the population and the Wazalendo movement three months ago, was officially intended to strengthen the effectiveness of the FARDC (Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo) in the East, particularly in the areas of Uvira, Fizi, and Mwenga. However, his alleged arrest is accompanied by very serious accusations. He is a for...

  The High Military Court has delivered its verdict in the highly anticipated case of the abandonment of Goma to the AFC/M23 rebels in January 2025. Four high-ranking officers of the FARDC and the Congolese National Police were found guilty, but received significantly reduced sentences compared to the prosecution's requests. Generals Dany Yangba Tene and Papy Lupembe Mobenzo, as well as Divisional Commissioners Eddy Léonard Mukuna Ntumba and Jean Romuald Ekuka Lipopo, former military governor of North Kivu, were convicted of cowardice in the face of the enemy, violation of orders, and loss of military equipment during the fall of Goma. Despite the seriousness of the crimes, the court granted significant mitigating circumstances, reducing the sentences to: • 36 months in prison for Ekuka Lipopo; • 24 months for Mukuna Ntumba; • 12 months for Yangba Tene and Lupembe Mobenzo. They will also have to pay a collective fine of 2.8 million Congolese francs. The case against the fifth defen...