In a communiqué dated January 2, 2026, AFC/M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka dismissed allegations made by DRC government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya in a statement issued on December 31, 2025. The group said the claims of territorial conquest and mass civilian casualties were 'based on no credible or verifiable sources' and accused Kinshasa of manipulating public opinion.
The DRC government has alleged that fighting along the Kamanyolaâ€"Uvira axis since early December involved bombs and kamikaze drones, leaving more than 1,500 civilians dead and displacing over 500,000 people. Kinshasa has also claimed that observed troop movements pointed to a planned military manoeuvre towards Fizi and an advance along the strategic Kalemie axis in Tanganyika province.
AFC/M23 disputes this account, arguing that government forces sought to reoccupy areas following what it described as the withdrawal of its own fighters, using those locations as bases for sustained offensives. The group accused Congolese forces of launching repeated attacks on its positions and on densely populated areas, particularly in Uvira and Makobola, and alleged cases of mass rape and systematic looting by government troops.
According to the communiqué, civilian deaths resulted from airstrikes and what it termed indiscriminate bombings allegedly carried out by forces allied to the Kinshasa government, including the Congolese army (FARDC), the FDLR, Mai-Mai Wazalendo militias, foreign mercenaries and Burundi's national defence forces. AFC/M23 said these attacks hit populated areas such as Kamanyola, Luvungi and Sange, reporting eight deaths and 55 injuries in Kamanyola alone.
The group also accused Congolese security forces of using heavy artillery to disperse a civilian march in Uvira on December 22, 2025, saying the action endangered lives and violated fundamental rights.
AFC/M23 further condemned what it described as repeated ceasefire violations, hate crimes and coordinated attacks by forces allied to Kinshasa across land, lake and air. It criticised the anti-Tutsi slur made by FARDC spokesperson General Sylvain Ekenge on state broadcaster RTNC in late December, arguing they reflected an official government policy rather than isolated remarks.
In its statement, AFC/M23 warned of what it called a 'real and imminent risk of genocide' against Congolese Tutsis, citing hate speech, discrimination and continued breaches of the ceasefire, which it said contradict the Doha Framework Agreement. It referenced multiple international and regional human rights conventions, arguing that current actions amounted to serious violations of international law.
Wycliffe Nyamasege
