{"id":56865,"date":"2026-01-16T14:47:23","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T14:47:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/mrdp-twirwaneho-claims-shoot-down-of-fardc-drone-in-south-kivu\/"},"modified":"2026-01-16T14:46:53","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T14:46:53","slug":"mrdp-twirwaneho-claims-shoot-down-of-fardc-drone-in-south-kivu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/mrdp-twirwaneho-claims-shoot-down-of-fardc-drone-in-south-kivu\/","title":{"rendered":"MRDP-Twirwaneho claims shoot-down of FARDC drone in South Kivu"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In a statement issued on January 15, 2026, the group&#8217;s spokesperson, Col  Kamasa Ndakize Welcome, alleged that FARDC troops, supported by Burundian forces, FDLR rebels, and Wazalendo militias, launched coordinated ground and aerial attacks in the Point-Z\u00e9ro area, approximately 10 km from Minembwe Commune.  <\/p>\n<p>Col Ndakize claimed the assaults deliberately targeted civilian areas, including Rwitsankuku and surrounding villages, destroying infrastructure, forcing residents to flee, and endangering innocent lives.<\/p>\n<p>In response, he said Twirwaneho fighters repelled the ground offensive, shot down one enemy drone that was striking populated areas, dismantled opposing positions, and seized strategic heights, including Mount Baruta, a position long used, according to the group, to shell civilian zones.<\/p>\n<p>MRDP-Twirwaneho emphasized that it will not tolerate alleged abuses by government-aligned forces and reiterated its commitment to protecting Banyamulenge civilians and their property.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-100733\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/tw-c9ffa.jpg\" alt=\"MRDP-Twirwaneho emphasized that it will not tolerate alleged abuses by DRC government-aligned forces.\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The MRDP-Twirwaneho armed group, opposing the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) government, has claimed it shot down a drone operated by the Congolese armed forces (FARDC) used to kill Banyamulenge civilians living in South Kivu Province.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":2000100734,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[75],"byline":[170],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-56865","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-homenews","byline-igihe"],"bylines":[{"id":170,"name":"IGIHE","slug":"igihe","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default 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