A score hospitalized after Wazalendo and M23 clashes in Bambo

 Doctors Without Borders (MSF) announced that it has treated approximately twenty wounded people, including six serious cases and one death, following violent clashes that erupted this ended Thursday, May 15, in and around the town of Bambo, in Rutshuru territory, between the M23/AFC armed groups and Wazalendo fighters from the CMC group.

As the fighting, of rare intensity, took place in the immediate vicinity of the hospital supported by the MSF organization, many civilians, panicked, took refuge there to escape the gunfire.

The use of heavy weapons directly threatened health facilities, forcing medical teams to temporarily take shelter, limiting their ability to provide emergency care.

"Despite the dangerous situation, we were able to treat approximately twenty wounded people, including six serious cases. Unfortunately, one person did not survive their injuries," MSF said in a statement.

The humanitarian organization strongly condemns the clashes in populated areas near health centers, and deplores the shooting that hit a hospital ward.

MSF calls on the parties to the conflict to respect international humanitarian law and protect civilians as well as medical and humanitarian workers on the ground.

These clashes are part of a renewed surge in tension in North Kivu. Since May 14, M23 rebels have recaptured the towns of Kishishe and Bambo, previously abandoned more than a year earlier. This recapture took place after violent fighting against the Wazalendo, which the M23 successfully repelled.

According to local sources, the rise of community armed groups, particularly Wazalendo, in these vacated areas has prompted the return of the M23, which is seeking to reestablish its strategic position in this key region connecting the territories of Masisi and Rutshuru. Although a relative lull was observed on May 16, sporadic gunfire continues to be reported in some neighborhoods of Bambo. The M23 has also reportedly strengthened its positions in the town, causing concern among the population, some of whom remain confined to their homes. Residents also reported looting of shops in Bambo and two injuries in Kishishe.

Since the beginning of the week, fighting has also spread to other localities, including Bundasi, Nushababwe, and areas of Virunga National Park, where M23 rebels are fighting both the Wazalendo and the FDLR.

The humanitarian situation in this part of Rutshuru territory continues to deteriorate, with massive population displacement and access to healthcare becoming increasingly difficult. 

Has Lt Col Nkulu Delphine defected to M23???Is Uvira safe?

Funds intended for the payment of salaries to soldiers of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) engaged on the front lines in the southern part of South Kivu province have been embezzled by Lt Col Nkulu Delphine K. This alert was issued by the commander of the 11th Brigade in a statement to media today.

In a fax sent to the various military unit leaders in the region, the brigade commander asked anyone who saw the alleged perpetrator of this embezzlement, Colonel Nkulu Kilenge Delphin, to arrest him and hand him over to the nearest Military Prosecutor's Office. The document states that the officer's escape was discovered before the payment operation was launched a few days ago.

This embezzlement comes as fighting is taking place between the FARDC and Wazalendo fighters and M23 rebels in the region. When contacted, the spokesperson for the Sokola South operations confirmed the events without providing further details.

During a recent mission to Uvira, the FARDC Chief of General Staff congratulated and encouraged the political and military authorities for their resistance against the M23 rebels, who are currently occupying the city of Bukavu and several other towns in the province.

What Wazalendo are saying about Lt Col Nkulu!!!

He once ordered the FARDC to attack us. We've long told him he'd be a dangerous element in the FARDC ranks, but since the entire FARDC is made up of some M23 elements, we didn't take it seriously.

If the government doesn't collaborate with civil society, then this government is made up of mafia members. It's civil society that has a lot of information about the situations in the various entities. Gervain Kambale and another colonel who is in Luberizi are also members of AFC-M23.

Lieutenant Colonel Delphin Nkulu, accused of fleeing with the military's money, is still wanted without trace, but he is now in Goma.

This colonel did not flee, but he chose his right side. He is in Goma under M23 protection. He defected to join the AFC-M23 terrorist movement.

It should be noted that the latter operated in Uvira. He was among the colonels who sought to bring down Uvira and who sowed unrest in Uvira. After finding the military's money, he saw fit to flee with it, as the mission he was seeking did not have the opportunity.

We told you to be careful with these FARDC officers. Many of them work in collusion with Corneille and Joseph Kabila. They are the result of a process of mixing, blending, and integration. They are gradually returning to their true positions. Within the FARDC, they are ironically thwarting Wazalendo's struggles.

DELPHIN NKULU, badly cornered in Uvira by the Young Patriots' resistance, has tried all his strategies, just as they did in other entities, without success. He has decided to openly return to his true position, which he has been supporting for a long time.

People from Uvira, don't be surprised by the flight of several FARDC officers. There are others who will still flee here in Uvira. We will give you their names soon. They are in collusion with M23 to bring down Uvira.

We wish to point out that if Rwandans are not bloodthirsty, they will dare to come to Uvira, and they will be treated with all determination and sincerity.

DELPHIN NKULU did not flee but rather defected to the AFC-M23 rebel movement.

AU with its effort to mend Kigali and Kinshasha relationships

 

Togolese President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé convened this Saturday in Lomé the panel of facilitators appointed as part of the African mediation for peace in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This meeting is part of the African Union's efforts to bring Kinshasa and Kigali closer together, amid ongoing tensions and armed violence.

Several former African heads of state were present at the table: Olusegun Obasanjo (Nigeria), Uhuru Kenyatta (Kenya), Mokgweetsi Masisi (Botswana), Catherine Samba-Panza (Central African Republic), and Sahle-Work Zewde (Ethiopia). Together, they reaffirmed their commitment to harmonizing existing peace initiatives by merging the Nairobi and Luanda processes into a unified approach.

The mediator and facilitators emphasized the need for coherent coordination between their respective efforts within an integrated framework. They also underscored the importance of close collaboration with regional organizations such as the East African Community (EAC) and SADC, as well as with international partners such as Qatar and the United States.

In a message issued the same day, Massad Boulos, Senior Advisor for Africa at the U.S. State Department, welcomed the diplomatic progress. "I just spoke with Togolese President Faure about the significant progress made following the signing of the Declaration of Principles between the DRC and Rwanda," he said, expressing his gratitude for Togo's role in the process.

The participants welcomed the recent signs of goodwill expressed by the various parties and their commitment to a peaceful resolution of the conflict.

DRC's general chief of staff was in Uvira to assess the war against M23

 

The Chief of the General Staff of the FARDC, Lieutenant General Jules Banza, visited Uvira, the provisional capital of South Kivu province in the east of the country, from May 14 to 15, 2025.

This command and control mission allowed him to gain a firsthand understanding of the security and operational realities on the ground where soldiers are engaged against the M23.

The DRC armed forces are looking for Colonel NKULU KILENGE Delphin, accused of embezzling army money.

 

Burundian gorvenment employs stringent measures on its borders to Congolese from M23 held areas

The Burundi National Police Inspectorate, through the General Migration Commission based at Bujumbura Airport (Airport Commission), has refused entry to seven Congolese nationals from the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Machumu Mushayuma , Mambo Inakazirwa Tyty, Ntumba Kateta Sylvain, Bwemere Mungwete Josué, Rhubane Buhinda Jean-Bosco, Kulimushi Buhandja Guillain, Kulondwa Byenda Jean-Claude, and Bruppacher Mambo Marcw were refused entry to Burundi on the grounds that their travel documents bore exit stamps issued by illegitimate Congolese authorities. The Burundian authorities based this decision on the provisions of Article 5 of Decree-Law No. 1/25 of November 25, 2021, regulating migration in Burundi. Shortly before, such a measure had already been taken against Burundian nationals, most of them traders and heavy truck drivers, who came from eastern DRC and admitted to having crossed into areas controlled by the AFC/M23 rebel coalition. Some, after having their passports stolen, were detained by immigration authorities, and others were turned back.

Several analysts have described these measures as violating international law regarding the freedom of movement of people and their goods. "What does the population have to do with what happened to them while under rebel occupation? Did they want it for such measures to be imposed on them?" asks Mr. Maxime Kaboyi.

On the other hand, a resident of the city of Bukavu denounces the treatment meted out at border posts by Congolese and Burundian migration services to Congolese nationals leaving areas under the control of the AFC/M23 rebels.

"Whether we're traveling to Kinshasa or Kalemie from Goma or Bukavu, we're treated as if we're not Congolese. In such cases, we're forced to leave Goma or Bukavu for Kigali, and from there, take a flight either to Kinshasa on Ethiopian Airlines or to Bujumbura. But once we arrive at our destination, we're subjected to very stressful treatment, as if we were no longer Congolese citizens with the right to travel." Who should then be looking at our travel documents when we have been abandoned by our government, which has so far been unable to free us from the hands of the occupiers?' exclaimed Mr. Espoir Balezi Muhemeri, who recounted his journey to Kinshasa to RNA-NEWS.

The Burundian government, which has engaged in military cooperation with the DRC since 2023, considers the AFC/M23 coalition an enemy group. After pushing back Burundian and Congolese forces from several areas of North and South Kivu, notably Goma and Bukavu in January and February 2025, the latter has expanded its control over immigration services, now exercised in several border towns under its authority.

Military drone shot down in luhwindja

 

According to our HUMINT and OSINT (intelligence collections ), military drone is reported to have been shot down in luhwindja.

I was alerted  at 3:00 a.m. that there had been three explosions in LUHWINDJA, and promised to get back t with details in the morning.

This morning, the population of LUHWINDJA, specifically in NDOLA, woke up to find the remains of a completely destroyed military drone.

Confusion remains regarding the destruction of this drone, whose origin and perpetrators are unknown.

We continue to believe that as time progresses, we will receive more details about this event.

Note that Luhwinja is still under the control of the M23-AFC rebels.