Minembwe, the heart of an endless war in the drc

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, as the security situation remains critical in Minembwe, located in South Kivu province, both the Congolese and Rwandan governments have reaffirmed their commitment to peace.

Meeting on Wednesday in London, the two sides agreed to implement the peace deal signed in June 2025, enforce the ceasefire, and ease tensions in Minembwe.

This strategic area is fiercely contested between the Congolese army and AFC-M23 rebels, each backed by allied militias—the Wazalendo and Twirwaneho.

War spares no one, not even health facilities

Fighting continues in this administrative entity of Fizi territory, with near-daily reports of casualties and material damage. A local resident describes drone bombardments that have even targeted Minembwe’s general referral hospital and several health centers: “The pediatric ward was bombed yesterday. The Ilundu health center near the airstrip was also hit. Every day there is war, and the drones terrorize the population. People have fled. The situation is dire. These drone attacks never stop.”

Civilians trapped in an endless conflict

In recent weeks, intensified clashes around Minembwe have triggered mass displacement of civilians. The South Kivu civil society collective is demanding that all signed agreements—starting with the ceasefire—be respected.

“We deplore that civilians continue to be preyed upon by warring parties everywhere,” says Hypocrate Marume, a member of the South Kivu civil society coordination framework. “People keep fleeing. The crisis is escalating, and it is us, the population, who are being killed. As civil society in South Kivu, we reiterate our call for both sides to lay down their arms and negotiate for peace.”

The battle for a highly strategic zone

The clashes in Minembwe are rooted in community tensions and rivalry for control of a militarily and symbolically vital area.

Professor Philippe Doudou Kaganda, scientific director of the Center for Research on Conflicts and Peace in the Great Lakes Region, explains: “Minembwe is a vast expanse that would allow the faction occupying it to launch counter-offensives against adversaries, both in the mid-altitude plateaus and the Ruzizi plain. It is a crossroads linking to Mwenga territory. Minembwe has also been a conflict zone for decades. When one faction seizes it, it signals a victory in a territorial and ethnicized war.”

Peace remains a distant dream for Minembwe’s residents, who now live under the constant threat of drone bombardments and nearly continuous gunfire exchanges.