Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye is set to embark on a two-day visit to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where he is expected to hold talks on a range of issues, including the ongoing conflict in the provinces of South Kivu and North Kivu.
The Office of the President of the DRC announced that Félix Tshisekedi will welcome this “distinguished guest” at N’Djili International Airport in Kinshasa on June 22, 2026, before the two leaders hold a private meeting and later address the media.
It stated: “Their discussions will focus on issues of common interest, including the security situation in eastern DRC and measures to combat the Ebola outbreak.”
The Burundian and Congolese armed forces are jointly engaged in military operations against the M23 and MRDP-Twirwaneho rebel groups, under a cooperation agreement signed by the two countries in 2022 and renewed in August 2023.
At present, these forces have intensified their offensive in Minembwe Commune and surrounding areas, seeking to dislodge MRDP-Twirwaneho fighters, who have spent nearly a decade providing security for the Banyamulenge community but have increasingly become a major challenge to the government’s objectives.
On June 17, while in Houston, Texas, President Félix Tshisekedi told members of the Congolese diaspora that government forces were making significant progress in Minembwe and expressed confidence that they would soon retake the cities of Goma and Bukavu.
Tshisekedi’s remarks were followed by a statement from the DRC armed forces claiming that they had captured Minembwe. However, both the political and military leadership of MRDP-Twirwaneho dismissed the claim.
On June 18, the President of MRDP-Twirwaneho, Dr. Freddy Kaniki, told a journalist that the DRC government’s objective of taking Minembwe was unattainable.
Dr. Kaniki said: “I think they wish they had done it. They have not done it, and they will not do it. You can carve that in stone—it will not change.”
MRDP-Twirwaneho stated that Minembwe came under heavy attacks last week involving the DRC armed forces, Burundian troops, the FDLR rebel group, and Wazalendo fighters, alleging that civilians were the primary targets.
On June 21, Col. Fidèle Rugabo, one of MRDP-Twirwaneho’s senior officers, said their fighters were continuing to push back DRC government forces, suggesting that the latter would fail to take Minembwe.
Col. Rugabo declared :“Enough is enough. They have been provoking us in Gakenke; now it is time to give FARDC, FDNB, Wazalendo, FDLR, and their allies the response they deserve. You will miss Minembwe. We are coming very soon.”
