No More Talks: AFC/M23 Ends Dialogue with Kinshasa as Storm Brews Around President Ndayishimiye and FDLR in Burundi

The AFC/M23 coalition has announced a bold new move in the ongoing Congo crisis. The group says it will no longer hold talks with President Tshisekedi’s government. The reason? Political prisoners are still being held in jails simply because of their background and ethnic identity. 

For AFC/M23, this is the final straw. 

They say they have realized the importance of hitting their enemy where it hurts. Peace talks are off the table until Tshisekedi takes real action, starting with freeing innocent political detainees. 

While this decision shakes regional politics, President Evariste Ndayishimiye of Burundi is confused. He doesn’t understand why his name is not even coming up in these diplomatic discussions. That might soon change. 

Because once the AFC/M23 achieves the release of these prisoners, their next focus will be “the Neva issue”, a topic that remains mysterious but promises more confrontation. 

A high-ranking source close to the movement warned that Burundi should brace for a storm, literally and politically. 

“A nighttime storm with lightning is approaching the Kibira region,” the source said.  

“Two battalions known as Bt 5:1–87 are reportedly training a terrorist group backed by the Congolese government, the FDLR.” 

Meanwhile, a shocking report came from MRDP-Twirwaneho, a self-defense movement in South Kivu province. On July 25, 2025, its spokesperson, Kamasa Ndakize Welcome, made a strong accusation against Burundi. 

He said that fighters from the FDLR, a known terrorist group, had been trained and armed in Burundi. Their mission: to destroy the Banyamulenge community. 

“These fighters were trained in Burundi,” Kamasa stated, “and they were given weapons to carry out an ethnic extermination plan.” 

After receiving training, the FDLR fighters were reportedly deployed to South Kivu. Places like Luvungi, Lubarika, Rurambo, and Minembwe are now hotspots of violence. 

Kamasa said that the FDLR fighters have blended in with local armed groups known as Wazalendo, as well as FARDC soldiers (the official Congolese army). Together, this alliance regularly attacks Banyamulenge civilians. 

“They burn houses, loot livestock, and block humanitarian aid,” Kamasa explained. “This is no longer random violence. This is a well-planned operation.” 

MRDP-Twirwaneho declared that they have the right to defend themselves. Their priority is to protect Banyamulenge lives and property. 

But they also issued a strong message to the world: 

“The international community must not remain silent while this plan of extermination unfolds,” said Kamasa. 

This was backed by Freddy Kaniki Rukema, the President of MRDP-Twirwaneho. Speaking last week, Rukema gave shocking numbers. 

“Since 2017, 357 Banyamulenge villages have been burned to the ground,” he said.
“Over 700,000 cows have been stolen, and the government of the DRC is heavily involved.” 

These are not just numbers, they are the evidence of ethnic persecution and a worsening humanitarian crisis in Eastern Congo. 

The situation is tense. With AFC/M23 breaking ties with Kinshasa, and with Burundi now being accused of training FDLR fighters, the region could be heading toward a much bigger conflict. 

For now, the AFC/M23 alliance is focused, first on freeing political prisoners, and next, dealing with Burundi’s role in the regional chaos. 

And as the storm moves closer to the Kibira forest, one thing is clear: East Africa is on the edge of a new wave of violence, resistance, and reckoning.