SOS Médias Burundi

Bukavu, July 21, 2025 – A disagreement erupted between the governor of South Kivu and a faction of the Wazalendo militias over 55 trucks of food and medicine intended for displaced people in Uvira. General Makanaki, an influential figure in these armed groups supported by Kinshasa, accused the convoys of covering up an M23 infiltration. Distrust is growing as the humanitarian emergency continues to grow in eastern Congo.

The humanitarian corridor supposed to connect Bukavu to Uvira has become a major point of friction between provincial authorities and a faction of the Wazalendo, local militias supported by the Congolese authorities, in a context of security mistrust and growing military rivalries. While 55 trucks loaded with food and medicine are being delivered to the displaced people living in Uvira, a bitter disagreement is raging between the Governor of South Kivu, Jean Jacques Purusi, and General Makanaki Kasimbira John, an influential Wazalendo figure in the region.

General Makanaki’s categorical refusal

Governor Purusi declared last weekend that an agreement had been reached between all parties concerned – the FARDC (Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo), the police, local authorities, some of the Wazalendo militias maintained by the Congolese authorities, and Burundian troops present in the area as part of a bilateral partnership.

« These trucks are carrying medicine and food to help our population, and everything will be unloaded in the presence of the population, the security services, and the Wazalendo, » he stated.

But this version is being challenged by some of the Wazalendo militias. In a 17-minute audio message broadcast on July 19, General Makanaki expressed firm opposition to humanitarian convoys from Bukavu.

« We do not want any trucks coming from Bukavu to Uvira. I, Makanaki, warlord, say that any truck coming from Bukavu must be burned by the Wazalendo. It will not pass the Luvingi bridge. These are the trucks that bring the M23, » he declared.

Widespread distrust and military tensions

This is not the first time that the Wazalendo militiamen have opposed the decisions of local authorities. They have regularly disarmed Congolese soldiers whom they accuse of fleeing the fighting and allowing the M23 rebels to advance. Bukavu, the departure point for the convoys, has been under M23 control since the beginning of the year, according to several local sources.

Militias also criticize the Burundi National Defense Force (FDNB), although present in Uvira as part of bilateral military cooperation, for not conducting offensives against the M23. These tensions recently necessitated a visit to the region by the Congolese Minister of Defense and representatives of the Burundian high command.

A humanitarian emergency held back by mistrust

Opinions among the population are divided. While some Uvira residents suggest transporting aid via Kalemie, from Kinshasa, others call for a rapid compromise.

« These are medicines for hospitals and food for the displaced! They’re not transporting the M23, and what’s more, they’ll have to pass through several checkpoints, » says a local official.

Since the intensification of clashes in Goma, Bukavu, Nyangezi, and Kamanyola, Uvira has been hosting a large number of displaced people. Living conditions there are increasingly precarious, and for these families, humanitarian aid is a vital necessity.

But General Makanaki’s categorical refusal and the blockade of the strategic Luvingi bridge risk transforming this humanitarian crisis into a major political and security crisis if no solution is found quickly.