The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has issued an urgent call for the reopening of access routes to the Minembwe health zone and surrounding highland areas, where thousands of civilians remain trapped without essential supplies. In a statement released Monday evening, OCHA urged all armed actors to protect civilians, halt indiscriminate or targeted attacks, and end any form of intimidation or coercion that has forced many residents to flee their homes.
Earlier this month, residents of Minembwe in South Kivu staged demonstrations protesting the closure of vital roads connecting the region to supply centers, including the town of Uvira. Demonstrators accused Burundian troops of blocking those routes and cutting off the population from food, trade, and humanitarian assistance.
Burundian forces operating inside the Democratic Republic of Congo acknowledged closing the roads, saying the decision was taken “to protect Uvira and the Burundian border.” They urged residents of Minembwe to “cut ties with enemies” allegedly present in the region.
OCHA reports that humanitarian access to Minembwe, Itombwe and other high-altitude areas has become extremely difficult if not impossible in recent months. The agency notes that armed conflict in the region has intensified since January, severely disrupting daily life and civilian movement.
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Since May 2025, Minembwe and nearby areas have been almost completely sealed off. Major supply routes including the Fizi–Lusuku–Point Zéro–Mikenge–Minembwe road are reportedly blocked by various armed groups active in the region. This has left the civilian population isolated for months.
According to OCHA, strict and arbitrary restrictions have prevented traders from bringing in goods, while humanitarian workers have been unable to deliver aid to communities in need. Many humanitarian organizations have withdrawn from the area due to threats and insecurity. Data from the Provincial Population Movement Commission, cited by OCHA, indicates that nearly 172,000 people in Minembwe are trapped with no access to basic supplies.
The blockade has triggered severe shortages of food, medicine and other essentials. OCHA cites dramatic price increases as evidence of the crisis: in January, one kilogram of sugar cost 5,000 Congolese francs , but by October the price had risen to 30,000 FC . A 25-kg bag of cassava flour, which previously cost 15,000 FC , now sells for 50,000 FC . The agency describes the inflation as “alarming” and warns of worsening food insecurity.
OCHA is calling for protection of humanitarian workers and medical facilities, as well as unhindered passage of medical supplies, relief items and personnel into the affected zones.
Residents, facing acute hunger, continue to plead for the opening of humanitarian corridors, insisting that armed actors should pursue their objectives without blocking civilian movement or access to lifesaving goods.
Burundian forces, however, maintain that civilians in Minembwe must “distance themselves from enemies.” Speaking to BBC News Gahuzamiryango, Burundian army spokesperson Brigadier General Gaspard Baratuza stated: “Anyone coming from Minembwe is considered to be working with the enemy and cannot be allowed to pass. If they cut ties with these enemies and wrongdoers, then they will regain their freedom of movement.”
Without providing evidence, he added: “As long as they remain in the strongholds of Red-Tabara and others they collaborate with, it is clear they are at risk of being targeted.”
The Burundian military says its presence in the DRC is part of ongoing operations against Burundian armed groups, including Red-Tabara and FNL-Nzabampema, which it accuses of working alongside local self-defense groups such as Twirwaneho and the AFC/M23. All these groups have publicly denied such alliances.
With no clear timeline for reopening the roads and humanitarian conditions worsening by the day, OCHA warns that the population of Minembwe and the surrounding highlands risks sliding into an even deeper crisis unless immediate, coordinated actions are taken.
