While heavy weapons fire echoes in the province of Cibitoke, the population is worried about the intensification of Imbonerakure military training. These exercises, conducted under the supervision of ex-rebels and soldiers, revive suspicions of involvement in the conflict in neighboring DRC. INFO SOS Médias Burundi

In the province of Cibitoke, in northwest Burundi, the large-scale military exercises conducted by the Imbonerakure, the youth league of the ruling party (CNDD-FDD), are causing great concern among the inhabitants.

These trainings take place mainly at the Cishemere shooting range, less than a kilometer from the provincial office. The detonations of heavy and small-calibre weapons, heard as far as the transit site for Congolese refugees, are fueling a climate of fear in a region already marked by instability.

Training in military tactics under the supervision of ex-rebels

According to several witnesses, these young recruits, mainly from the provinces of Cibitoke, Kayanza, Bubanza and Bujumbura, are trained in the handling of weapons and military strategies. The training is provided by former CNDD-FDD fighters as well as instructors from the Burundi National Defense Forces (FDNB) and the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).

Among skills taught is gathering intelligence on the enemy, a technique that observers suggest could be linked to future involvement in the conflict between M23 rebels and Congolese armed forces in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Alleged involvement in M23 war

Military sources suggest that the training is aimed at preparing the Imbonerakure to support Burundian and Congolese forces in their fight against the M23. However, this hypothesis worries many residents, who doubt the ability of these young recruits to confront such a complex and deadly conflict.

In this war where Congolese and Burundian forces have already suffered heavy losses in the fighting against the M23 rebels, some parents are expressing their distress. A father, who lost two of his sons during the fighting in Kamanyola (South Kivu in eastern Congo), denounces an « instrumentalization of the youth » and urges the authorities to invest in the development of the country rather than sending young people to fight in a conflict that does not directly concern them.

Authorities downplay the accusations

Faced with these concerns, the head of the CNDD-FDD youth league rejects any direct involvement of the Imbonerakure in the M23 war. He nevertheless acknowledges that training sessions are organized, but insists on their « patriotic and civic » nature.

For his part, the commander of the 112th Infantry Battalion of Cibitoke claims that the gunfire heard in the region is part of « regular military exercises » and calls on the population and refugees to avoid the area during live ammunition training.

While these explanations fail to reassure, the growing militarization of young people and the supposed involvement of Burundi in the Congolese conflict continue to fuel serious concerns in the province of Cibitoke.