According to Lawrence Kanyuka, spokesperson for AFC/M23, the attacks occurred on the night of March 21–22, 2026, targeting densely populated areas, including the villages of Gakenke and Kalingi, as well as the centre of Minembwe.
“These indiscriminate attacks have caused deaths, triggered massive displacement, and inflicted significant destruction on local communities,” Kanyuka said in an official update on Sunday. “They mark a serious escalation aimed at annihilating entire communities.”
The AFC/M23 called on the Congolese people to bear witness to what it described as systematic, deliberate, and openly committed attacks against civilians, which have taken place in full view of all, while the international community remains silent.
The group emphasised that the continued targeting of civilian populations represents an intolerable situation requiring urgent attention.
Repeated ceasefire violations and ongoing hostilities have hampered efforts to stabilise the region, despite multiple declared ceasefires.
Lawrence Kanyuka, spokesperson for AFC/M23, said the attacks occurred on the night of March 21–22, 2026, targeting densely populated areas, including the villages of Gakenke and Kalingi, as well as the centre of Minembwe.
Nairobi County Police Commander Issa Mohamud said the latest incident occurred on Wednesday night in the Westlands area of Nairobi, where the upper section of a 22-storey building partially caved in, leaving one worker dead.
“Investigations are ongoing to establish the cause of the collapse. We have accounted for all workers at the scene,” Mohamud said.
He noted that local authorities were also trying to determine why construction was ongoing at night.
Out of four workers involved, two managed to escape unhurt, one was rescued with injuries, and another succumbed to injuries sustained in the collapse, he added.
Emergency teams, including personnel from the Kenya Red Cross, worked overnight to secure the site and carry out rescue operations, managing to reach those believed to be trapped under the debris.
The incident came hours after a separate tragedy in Kericho County, where another building under construction collapsed, leaving one person dead and several others injured.
Kericho County Commissioner Jeremiah Gicheru confirmed that four workers were rescued and rushed to Kericho County Referral Hospital for treatment.
Photo used for illustration shows Kenyan police attending the scene of a building collapse in Ruaka, on the outskirts of the capital Nairobi, Kenya Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022. (AP Photo)
Lumumba, who became prime minister of the newly independent Democratic Republic of Congo in 1960, was reportedly overthrown and killed in January 1961 by Belgian-backed mercenaries, just months after taking office. In 2002, a Belgian parliamentary investigation acknowledged Belgium’s “moral responsibility” for Lumumba’s death.
Davignon, who was a junior diplomat at the time, is facing charges of war crimes, including complicity in the unlawful detention, transfer, and mistreatment of Lumumba.
He is also accused of being involved in the murder of Lumumba’s political allies, Maurice Mpolo and Joseph Okito. Prosecutors claim that Davignon participated in depriving Lumumba of a fair trial and subjected him to degrading treatment.
According to Reuters, the trial is a significant victory for Lumumba’s family, with his granddaughter, Yema Lumumba, describing it as a “step in the right direction.”
It also signals a reckoning with Belgium’s colonial history, as Davignon becomes the first Belgian official to face trial in connection with the 1961 killing.
Congo’s Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba waves as he sits in car for the drive from Idlewild Airport, New York July 24, 1960 [AP]
This fighting comes just two days after FARDC, Wazalendo, and other allied groups blocked the RN5 road, which connects the city of Uvira to Bukavu, citing security concerns.
AFC/M23 spokesperson, Lawrence Kanyuka, reported that as of 06:00 AM on March 17, 2026, FARDC forces began firing heavy artillery in the Kabunambo area, forcing many residents to flee.
Benjamin Mbonimpa, the Permanent Secretary of AFC/M23, stated that Kabunambo residents had been peaceful and safe while under AFC/M23 control, but that the Congolese government chose to threaten their security with artillery strikes.
Kanyuka further emphasized that AFC/M23 is prepared to protect the people of Kabunambo and their property as long as FARDC continues its aggressive actions.
The Ruzizi Plain has been a hotspot for intense fighting since early December 2025, triggered by attacks from FARDC forces against areas controlled by AFC/M23, including the Kamanyola sector.
AFC/M23 responded with force, gaining control of several territories including the city of Uvira, which was vacated in January 2026 to resume peace talks.
As FARDC returned to the city, they made it clear they would stabilize the region once they retake all areas controlled by AFC/M23, including the city of Bukavu, Goma, and Bunagana, which had been captured in December 2022.
The ongoing drone strikes by FARDC forces on Minembwe commune and neighboring regions indicate their intent to continue military operations in areas under AFC/M23 control.
In the early hours of February 24, FARDC launched a drone attack near Rubaya, which killed their former military spokesperson, Lt. Col. Willy Ngoma.
On March 11, FARDC conducted another drone strike in the city of Goma, killing three civilians, including French national Karine Buisset, a UNICEF worker.
AFC/M23 reported that from the night of March 16 to March 17, FARDC, Burundian forces, FDLR, Wazalendo, and mercenaries launched additional drone strikes on Minembwe and surrounding regions.
The alliance warned that the Congolese government would be held accountable for the continued bloodshed of innocent civilians under the sielnce of the international community.
The RN5 road, which is commonly used for transportation, passenger travel, and trade, connects residents from the Uvira territory located in the Ruzizi Valley.
On the morning of March 15, 2026, traders traveling from the Runingu center towards Sange were turned back by FARDC and Wazalendo forces.
Radio Maendeleo reported that some passengers traveling from Bukavu to areas in the Ruzizi Valley or the city of Uvira were also blocked, causing a build-up of people at the Sange center as they awaited further instructions.
After a prolonged period of confusion, these residents were informed that no vehicles, motorcycles, or pedestrians were allowed to proceed into the city of Uvira from areas controlled by the AFC/M23 group.
The road had been functioning smoothly from the beginning of December 2025 until January 2026, when AFC/M23 controlled all the areas in the Ruzizi Valley and the city of Uvira.
Since AFC/M23 withdrew from the city of Uvira in mid-January 2026, traffic has significantly decreased on this road due to the fact that travelers now pass through areas controlled by opposing factions.
The FARDC and Wazalendo forces have stated that this decision was made to ensure security in the controlled areas, but the residents do not agree, as they are calling for increased security rather than restrictions on their livelihoods.
FARDC and Wazalendo reportedly blocked the key road between Bukavu and Uvira on Sunday, March 15, 2026.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Infrastructure commended the Tanzania Railways Corporation (TRC) for the initiative during an inspection visit to the Pugu railway workshop in Dar es Salaam, where the locomotive assembly project is underway.
Committee Chairman Selemani Kakoso urged the TRC to continue building the capacity of Tanzanian youth involved in assembling and maintaining the locomotives by providing advanced training both domestically and abroad.
He said strengthening technical knowledge, skills and innovation among young technicians would enhance efficiency and sustainability in the railway sector.
According to TRC Director General Machibya Shiwa, the decision to assemble the locomotives locally followed delays in the delivery of spare parts from suppliers due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Two locomotives assembled in Malaysia were shipped to Tanzania, while parts for the remaining six units were transported to the Pugu workshop for local assembly.
Shiwa said the project has opened business opportunities for local suppliers providing machinery services, construction materials, electrical equipment and other components.
Tanzania has begun assembling mainline gauge railway locomotives locally.
The Ministry of Interior and National Administration said the victims comprise 46 men, eight women, and eight children.
“Nairobi recorded the highest number of deaths with 33, followed by the Eastern region at 17, and Rift Valley region with seven,” the ministry said in an update released in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital.
The government said the floods have affected more than 10,000 households, with 4,845 people displaced and forced to seek shelter in safer areas.
The heavy rainfall has caused flooding in several parts across the East African nation, leading to road closures, property damage, displacement and distress among the affected communities.
In addition to the tragic loss of lives, significant damage to infrastructure and livelihoods has been reported.
The Kenya Meteorological Department has forecast continued heavy rainfall and urged residents to take extreme caution to prevent further loss of life.
Kenya said floods have affected more than 10,000 households, with 4,845 people displaced
According to sources familiar with the matter, the alleged strategy hinges on cooperation with the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), an terrorist group formed by individuals linked to the perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. The effort reportedly seeks to create a broader coalition of groups opposed to Rwanda’s government.
At the center of the reported initiative is Jean‑Luc Habyarimana, the son of the late president. Sources indicate he is being positioned as a figure capable of rallying remnants of the Hutu Power network and helping reorganize opposition groups under a new structure.
During a recent visit to Kinshasa, Jean-Luc reportedly met Désiré Cashmir Eberande Kolongele, President Tshisekedi’s special advisor on security matters.
According to individuals familiar with the meeting, he conveyed a message that plans were being developed to form a strong military alliance initially focused on confronting AFC/M23, before potentially expanding operations toward Rwanda.
Sources further claim that Jean-Luc, working with officials in the Congolese Ministry of Communication and Media, helped establish a platform known as Xtrafrica. The platform is reportedly used to promote narratives rehabilitating the image of Habyarimana, criticize the Rwandan government and support Tshisekedi’s regional agenda.
Meanwhile, Agathe Kanziga, the widow of Habyarimana, along with other figures associated with the Hutu Power ideology, is said to have advised Jean-Luc to rebrand the FDLR under a new name, the FCLR (Front Commun pour la Libération Rwandaise), in an effort to improve its international image while maintaining its existing structure and ideology.
The broader strategy reportedly involves bringing together political and military figures opposed to Rwanda’s government by offering them refuge and support in Congo.
Attention has also reportedly turned to Nyamwasa, a former senior officer in the Rwanda Defence Force who later founded the Rwanda National Congress (RNC).
Sources say he has been attempting to unite armed, political and propaganda networks in opposition to Rwanda’s leadership.
During a reported trip to Kinshasa in September 2024, Nyamwasa is said to have met leaders of the FDLR to discuss strengthening cooperation. Congolese officials familiar with the matter claim he has remained in close contact with Gaston Iyamuremye, the commander of the FDLR, a relationship described as key to efforts to align the RNC with the group.
In January 2026, Byiringiro reportedly appointed his brother-in-law Cyprien Ngabo as a liaison between the FDLR and an RNC faction led by Frank Ntwali, further indicating growing coordination between the groups.
Sources also claim that cooperation dates back several years. In early 2025, Byiringiro is said to have sent Emmanuel Hakizimana, an RNC member based in Canada, to the United States to represent the FDLR at a meeting of so-called Rwandan opposition figures.
The meeting was reportedly part of a long-running effort to unite fragmented groups opposed to Rwanda’s government. With alleged financial and political backing from individuals close to Tshisekedi, recruitment into the anti-Rwanda coalition is said to have intensified, involving supporters based in Uganda and prominent RNC-associated figures such as Charles Kambanda, Eugène Gasana, and Christine Uwizera Coleman.
Sources claim the initiative is becoming increasingly visible, pointing to alleged logistical support for the FDLR and outreach to individuals linked to or associated with the genocide, as part of a broader effort to unite groups opposed to Rwanda’s government under a single front.
New details have emerged on the coordination between President Félix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and son of former Rwandan President Jean Luc Habyarimana.
The group crossed into Rwanda on Thursday, March 12, 2026, through the main border post linking the two countries in Rubavu District, where they were received by the district’s Vice Mayor in charge of Social Affairs, Ishimwe Pacifique.
Most of the returnees are women and children, many of whom were born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Speaking to the Rwanda Broadcasting Agency, several of them said they decided to return after being encouraged by fellow Rwandans who had previously repatriated and successfully rebuilt their lives back home.
Many of those returning had spent years under the control of the FDLR, a militia group formed by perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi who fled to the DRC after being defeated by the Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPA).
Since the M23 rebel forces began taking control of large parts of eastern DRC, the returnees say security conditions have improved, allowing them to consider going back to Rwanda.
In cooperation with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, those willing to return are being facilitated to repatriate.
The returning Rwandan nationals were welcomed by the district’s Vice Mayor in charge of Social Affairs, Ishimwe Pacifique.
In the early hours of March 11, drones from the DRC military targeted civilian homes in the Himbi area, resulting in the deaths of three civilians, including Karine Buisset, a French national working for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
The AFC/M23 condemned the attack, criticizing the international community for remaining silent while the DRC government violated the peace agreements signed in Doha, Qatar.
Responding to an invitation from civil society organizations, the residents of Goma paused their daily activities on March 12 and took to the streets in protest against the violence perpetrated by the DRC government.
Some of the protesters expressed their condolences to the families of the civilians killed in the drone strike and condemned the continued use of drones by the DRC military, which continues to target civilian-populated areas in North Kivu and South Kivu provinces.
The protesters expressed their belief that the ongoing drone attacks, which show complete disregard for civilian lives, serve as a sign that President Félix Tshisekedi is willing to do whatever it takes to retain power.
Lawrence Kanyuka, spokesperson for the AFC/M23, revealed that the protesters have demanded that AFC/M23 take control of the entire DRC, as the areas under government control have become centers of violence, insecurity, and the suffering of civilians.
Goma has been under the control of AFC/M23 since January 2025. This is the first time the city has been attacked by drones since it was taken from the DRC government’s control more than a year ago.
A house was severely damaged by drones from the DRC government forces.Senior officials arrived at the building and listened to testimonies from the residents. On the morning of March 12, the residents of Goma staged a protest condemning the attack.
