On the morning of Thursday, May 29, 2025, the Mikenke area, nestled in the hills of Minembwe, once again found itself gripped by the horrors of war. This followed a series of drone strikes allegedly launched by the Congolese government and its allies.
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According to local residents, the first drone strike occurred around 2:30 a.m., hitting hills near local cattle grazing areas. The impact created a crater, but it remains unclear whether the explosion resulted in any human or animal casualties.
Eyewitnesses reported that the drones had been circling in the sky for several hours before striking, a presence that fueled fear and despair among the population.
Reports suggest that the drones are operated by the Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC), with support from allied forces including the FDLR militia, Burundian troops, and the Wazalendo militia group. The drones are believed to be deployed from Kisangani, which allegedly serves as a central base for these drone operations.
Minembwe is predominantly inhabited by the Banyamulenge community. In recent years, the area has been subjected to repeated attacks by armed groups reportedly supported by the Kinshasa government, who accuse the Banyamulenge of being immigrants and collaborators with AFC/M23 accusations the locals firmly deny.
This is not the first instance of drone strikes in the region. Three weeks prior, other drones had been spotted in the same area. While those attacks did not result in significant destruction, they caused soil destabilization and landslides. Locals say that even when lives are not lost, these aerial assaults force people to flee their homes and live in constant fear of what may come next.
Circulating reports also indicate that Burundi is cooperating with Kinshasa in deploying drones to strike the Banyamulenge-inhabited hills.
Though the Burundian government has not issued an official statement, some observers point to signs of military collaboration between the two nations aimed at targeting certain ethnic groups accused of rebel affiliations.
Since the beginning of this year, the Congolese government has been intensifying drone strikes in the Minembwe mountains, notably in Gakangala and surrounding areas back in February. These developments are seen as a shift toward a new kind of warfare, technology-driven and dominated by aerial weapons replacing traditional gunfire.
Meanwhile, local and national authorities in the DRC have remained silent on the consequences of these drone strikes. Concern continues to grow as the region spirals deeper into conflict, with no evident political will to resolve the underlying ethnic tensions and protect the rights of the people of Minembwe.
