General-Major Peter Cirimwami Nkuba, the former governor of South Kivu Province who was shot dead in Sake, west of Goma, on January 24, 2025, was honored in a state funeral ceremony at the DR Congo Parliament before being laid to rest in the newly inaugurated military cemetery in Kinshasa.
In the presence of President Félix Tshisekedi, the Minister of Defense, and high-ranking military officials, the coffin bearing Cirimwami’s photo was placed alongside another one bearing the image of Colonel Rugabisha Alexis, who was killed in combat on February 1, 2025, in Nyabibwe, South Kivu.
Both men died amid intensified fighting between government forces and the M23 rebel group in North and South Kivu provinces. Just days after Cirimwami’s death, M23 rebels seized control of the city of Goma.
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In a statement on X (formerly Twitter), the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) hailed the two officers as “heroes who stood firm on the battlefield, sacrificing their lives to protect the country and the safety of its people.”
Cirimwami was fatally shot in Kasengezi, near Sake, while visiting front-line troops in an area that had been the scene of intense fighting for months. While the military declared he was “killed by the enemy,” some family members claimed he was “shot by individuals from within his own ranks,” leading to controversy surrounding the circumstances of his death.
President Tshisekedi, in his eulogy, stated that Cirimwami “lived and fought as a soldier, and died fulfilling his ultimate duty as a soldier.”
Colonel Rugabisha was killed in fierce fighting in Nyabibwe, Kalehe territory, as M23 rebels advanced toward Bukavu after capturing Goma. Witnesses reported that during the heavy clashes, most of Rugabisha’s troops fled, leaving him and a few remaining soldiers exposed on the front line, where he was fatally shot multiple times in the chest.
In his tribute, President Tshisekedi praised Rugabisha as one of the soldiers “who held the line with composure and unwavering resolve.”
The president further pledged to pursue accountability for those responsible for crimes against Congolese citizens, stating: “We will honor our fallen by committing to vigilance, discipline, and the fulfillment of our national duties.”
Posthumous Promotions and National Recognition
During the ceremony, both soldiers were posthumously inducted into DR Congo’s pantheon of national heroes, known as “Héros Nationaux Kabila-Lumumba,” according to the president’s office.
Cirimwami, an ethnic Mushi from South Kivu, was posthumously promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-General, while Rugabisha, an ethnic Munyamulenge also from the region, was elevated from Colonel to Brigadier General.
Their burial took place at the newly inaugurated military cemetery “Repos du Soldat” (“Soldier’s Rest”) in the N’sele Commune of Kinshasa, officially opened on the same day by President Tshisekedi. The 74-hectare cemetery will serve as the final resting place for soldiers and top government officials who have served the nation. According to the presidency, it is now the largest public cemetery in Kinshasa.
