After Wazalendo took control of Kaziba in the Walungu territory of South Kivu province and began looting from the residents, the locals called on the M23 movement group to come and liberate their area.
Kaziba is one of the chiefdoms in Walungu territory, mainly inhabited by Congolese people of the Bashi ethnic group, who speak the Mashi language, which closely resembles Kinyarwanda and Kipfuleero.
One resident stated: “Those savages (referring to Wazalendo) are looting us. They entered houses and shops and took everything.”
Reports indicate that before the Wazalendo began looting, they fired many gunshots, taking advantage of the situation to rob civilians.
A message written in Swahili and shared with the news outlet stated: “Wale wajinga wanaanza piller ma boutiques na mu manyumba.” (“Those fools have started looting shops and houses.”)
Additionally, residents claim that the militia seized vehicles, including motorcycles and cars, mainly on the Nyamfunzo road in the Bakaja area, heading towards Nyangenzi.
They further explained that these incidents occurred on Saturday, March 29, 2025.
As a result of the violence, some residents locked themselves inside their homes, abandoning their daily activities, which they fear could lead to food shortages.
This situation has led the residents to call on M23 to return and reclaim the area from the Congolese coalition forces, which include the FARDC (Congolese Armed Forces), Burundian troops, Wazalendo militia, and FDLR fighters.
On March 12, 2025, M23 had initially taken control of Kaziba but later withdrew without any fighting, as their forces continued advancing to drive out the coalition of FARDC, Burundian troops, Wazalendo, and FDLR in the Minembwe region.
However, after M23 withdrew from Kaziba, Wazalendo and Burundian troops reoccupied the area.
Now, the residents are pleading with M23 to return and expel the Congolese coalition forces, who they accuse of looting, mistreating, and even killing them.
