Paul Kagame (Rwanda) bursts into tears in broad daylight.

Paul Kagame bursts into tears in broad daylight.

Kagame says: “When I talk about the events in Minembwe, the United States tells me: ‘Shut up, it’s none of your business!’” Paul Kagame then bursts into tears in broad daylight. What was Kagame talking about? Minembwe is a high-altitude village in the Hauts Plateaux of the Fizi Territory in South Kivu, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Historically, it was a core area of ​​the Banyamulenge community and various Mai-Mai groups. The lines of conflict run along local land and belonging issues (discourse about the Banyamulenge as “étrangers”), combined with regional intervention (Burundian and allegedly Rwandan actors) and the national confrontation over M23/AFC. Minembwe Recent events in Minembwe have been marked by intense fighting between FARDC forces (some with Burundian support and Wazalendo militias) and the local Banyamulenge self-defense group Twirwaneho, which cooperates with AFC/M23, as well as massive drone bombings resulting in significant civilian casualties. At the same time, a long-term cycle of violence and displacement continues, which has been affecting the Banyamulenge population on the Minembwe highlands for years. Farmers have been fighting the Banyamulenge people in particular on the Minembwe highlands for years. From 2025/26 onward, fighting intensified around Minembwe-Centre and surrounding villages such as Kakenge, Lunundu, Kitavi, Tuoko, and Kawera: FARDC, the Burundian Army, and Wazalendo militias attempted to encircle Twirwaneho/AFC-M23 positions, leading to multiple village fires and renewed displacement. A planned ceasefire in February 2026 effectively failed; despite government officials announcing a "goal of recapturing central Minembwe," fighting and offensives by both sides continued. Drone attacks and the humanitarian situation. Since the beginning of 2026, there have been increasing reports of the systematic use of combat drones against populated areas of the Minembwe plateaus, particularly in Mikenke and Gakenke. According to AFC/M23, at least seven people were killed and over twenty injured at the end of March when kamikaze drones bombed densely populated areas considered strongholds for Banyamulenge defense forces. Humanitarian organizations and local actors describe an already alarming situation, exacerbated by the drone attacks and ongoing fighting, with continued displacement, destroyed villages, and severely restricted access for aid. And let's not forget the Ebola epidemic! Currently, South Kivu (including the Minembwe health district) is experiencing part of the 17th Ebola outbreak in the DRC, but Minembwe itself is primarily affected indirectly because the combination of war and epidemic severely hampers aid delivery and monitoring. As of mid-July 2026, South Kivu was considered a province with confirmed cases according to WHO/CDC and national data, but had not registered any new cases for over 42 days and was close to officially declaring the epidemic over at the provincial level. The ongoing epidemic was officially declared the 17th Ebola outbreak in the DRC on May 15, 2026; the cause is the Bundibugyo Ebola virus. The outbreak originated in the Mongbwalu Health Zone (Ituri) and spread from there to Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu, affecting a total of 38 health zones. By mid-June, the DRC had reported 896 laboratory-confirmed cases and 232 deaths, while Uganda had an additional 19 confirmed cases and one probable fatal infection, epidemiologically linked to transmission in the DRC. The WHO characterizes the situation as rapidly escalating, with ongoing transmission and significant challenges due to security, population mobility, and limited health infrastructure.