At least 11 civilians including a woman were killed in two explosions that occurred on Thursday in Bukavu, capital of South Kivu in eastern Congo, 65 others injured including 6 seriously. This is an official and provisional report given by Corneille Nangaa, head of the Congo River Alliance (AFC), a political-military movement to which the M23 armed group is affiliated, which now controls the capitals of the provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu in eastern DRC. The M23 suspects that the explosives that were used are used by the FDNB (Burundi National Defense Force) – allegations dismissed out of hand by the spokesperson for the Burundian army, Brigadier General Gaspard Baratuza.

INFO SOS Médias Burundi

The toll was communicated by Mr. Nangaa, in a press conference held in Bukavu, after the two explosions that targeted an M23 gathering. Nangaa was present at the Place de l’Indépendance, accompanied by other AFC officials and Bertrand Bisimwa, political leader of the M23.

« I would like to give you here the first toll that we have. It is that the attack caused 11 deaths including a woman. Verifications are underway, the perpetrator of the attack himself would be among these deaths. There are 65 injured including 6 seriously « , announced Corneille Nangaa in front of journalists from the local and international press.

He criticized Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi for favoring the path of violence.

« We have always expressed the wish to have a political solution to the multifaceted crisis in Congo but we unfortunately note that he (Tshisekedi) is keen on war, » he accused.

Shortly before this press conference, the M23 had accused the Congolese head of state of having ordered this massacre.

« The order to massacre the populations of Bukavu was given by Félix Tshisekedi following a meeting with his last governor who was chased out of Bukavu, » declared the armed group which has extended its zone of control in the provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu in recent weeks.

Félix Tshisekedi says he is dismayed

In a message disseminated by the Congolese presidency on Thursday on its X account (formerly Twitter), it says that Félix Tshisekedi is dismayed.

« President Félix Tshisekedi learned with sorrow of the death of several compatriots following an explosion that took place during a forced meeting, on Thursday at the Place de l’Indépendance in Bukavu, in the province of South Kivu », wrote the Congolese presidency.

From left to right, Corneille Nangaa, president of the Congo River Alliance and Bertrand Bisimwa, political leader of the M23 during the officialization of the new Alliance in Nairobi, December 15, 2023. The two men were in Bukavu during the two explosions that targeted an M23 gathering (SOS Médias Burundi)

« The Head of State expresses his solidarity with the victims, he presents his sincere condolences to the grieving families and expresses his compassion to them », it continued.

And he concluded : « President Tshisekedi strongly condemns this heinous terrorist act that was perpetrated by a foreign army illegally present on the Congolese soil ».

Is the Burundian army involved?

In a publication on his X account, Bertrand Bisimwa accused the Burundian army of having supplied the bombing equipment.

« The first investigations carried out on the crime scene indicate that the explosives used in the terrorist attack are those used by the Burundian army, in its operations in the eastern region of the DRC, » he said.

Reaction of the FDNB

Brigadier General Gaspard Baratuza, spokesman for the FDNB (Burundi National Defense Force), also chose X to deny these allegations.

« As a clarification against detractors wanting to exploit the situation that happened in Bukavu today, the FDNB strongly condemns the despicable act perpetrated and informs the public that there are no Burundian soldiers deployed in the city of Bukavu, » he reacted.

The small east African nation has deployed nearly 10,000 troops, backed by former fighters from the ruling CNDD-FDD party and the Imbonerakure (members of the ruling party’s youth league) on the Congolese soil to help the FARDC (Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo) and its allies, including local militias maintained by Congolese authorities, commonly known as the Wazalendo, in the war against the M23.

With the capture of the city of Bukavu and the city of Kamanyola in South Kivu a few days ago, SOS Médias Burundi learned that the Burundian military had begun to withdraw from Congolese territory. But the spokesperson for the Burundian army had recently confirmed that the FDNB elements deployed in Congo continue to carry out their missions in their areas of responsibility.

Thursday’s tragedy took place while the provincial administration of South Kivu was relocated to the city of Uvira, a few kilometers from the commercial capital of Burundi, Bujumbura, where several Congolese nationals have found refuge in recent times. Leaders of the M23 and the Congo River Alliance had not yet announced any arrests following the attack on February 27. The attack came a month after rebels seized Goma, the capital of North Kivu and the main city in eastern Congo, and now control borders between the vast central African country and Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi.

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The M23 gathering that was targeted by two explosions in Bukavu, February 27, 2025, DR