In an exclusive telephone interview with AfroVera.com, CEO-Officer Jean de Dieu, Ambassador of Peace of the Banyamulenge community in Australia, expressed grave concern over the deployment of Burundian troops into eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
«We cannot remain silent while foreign troops pour into our homeland with heavy weapons, » Jean de Dieu told AfroVera.com. «This is a matter of survival for our people. We urgently appeal to the Congolese government and the international community to intervene before more innocent lives are lost. »
He emphasized that the Banyamulenge people are calling for protection, not conflict. «Our people have endured decades of persecution. We want peace, but peace cannot be achieved under the shadow of foreign military campaigns that target civilians, » he added.
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Reports of major Burundian military movements have been intensifying concerns in South Kivu, where the Banyamulenge community has long faced persecution and repeated displacement. Eyewitnesses in Burundi told AfroVera.com that convoys of more than 30 military trucks carrying heavily armed soldiers and equipment crossed toward the Congolese border late last week.
Residents in Buganda described the vehicles as heavily equipped, saying the troops appeared to be heading for the high plateaus of Minembwe. The soldiers are believed to have come from Cishemere and Mubugu military camps, where days of intense training and live-fire exercises had been reported.
Regional sources warn that these Burundian forces may reinforce Congolese army units and allied Wazalendo militias, groups already accused of attacks on Banyamulenge civilians in the highlands. Humanitarian observers fear that the arrival of thousands of troops could trigger yet another wave of killings and mass displacement.
Not all voices within the Banyamulenge community view the threat the same way. Activist Daniel Michombero, citing remarks from a Banyamulenge leader at a recent peace event, suggested that the real risk could come from Rwanda rather than from Congolese or Burundian forces. «If we face the risk of genocide, it will come from Rwanda, not from Congolese or Burundians, » the leader was quoted as saying.
The contrasting perspectives underscore the complexity of the crisis in eastern Congo, where overlapping armed groups, regional interventions and shifting alliances have created persistent instability. What remains undeniable, however, is that thousands of civilians in the Minembwe highlands now face deepening uncertainty and fear. The international community is being urged to act swiftly, investigate the presence of foreign forces, and place the protection of vulnerable populations at the center of any response.
