Burundi’s military has denied deploying troops to Minembwe, a contested locality in South Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, rejecting claims circulating on social media that Burundian forces are blockading civilians in the area.

In a statement issued Tuesday and signed by Brig. Gen. Gaspard Baratuza, the National Defense Force of Burundi (FDNB) said “there are no Burundian military personnel in the locality of Minembwe at this time.” Instead, the army said the area is controlled by a coalition of armed groups, including RED-Tabara, FNL Nzabampema, AFC Twirwaneho and M23, which it accused of operating among civilians.

The statement said images and videos shared online purporting to show Burundian troops in Minembwe actually depict fighters from these groups “coexisting with the civilian population,” whom the FDNB alleges are being used as “human shields” during planned attacks on Burundian or Congolese army positions.

Burundi defended its broader deployment in eastern DRC, saying its forces continue to operate under bilateral agreements with Congolese authorities to combat “negative national or foreign forces” such as RED-Tabara. The mission, the FDNB said, is conducted “with professionalism and strict respect for human rights and international humanitarian law.”

Burundi deployed thousands of troops to the DRC beginning in 2023 as part of regional efforts to support Congolese forces against the M23 rebellion and allied militias. Independent security analysts have estimated the number of Burundian troops in eastern Congo to be between 8,000 and 12,000, deployed across several battalions in South Kivu and neighboring provinces.

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