The East African country’s army spokesperson has dismissed the report as “fake”
Burundi is evacuating its forces from eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), where they had been fighting alongside Congolese counterparts against M23 rebels, Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing an army officer and UN officials.
A Burundian military source told the outlet that soldiers had returned to their home country in a number of trucks through a border post. According to the news agency, two UN sources and an African diplomat have reported the same event.
In response, a Burundian army spokesman called the reports of the withdrawal “fake” and announced that the East African nation’s troops in DR Congo “continue to carry out their missions in their areas of responsibility.”
Burundi and several other African countries, including Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, Tanzania, and Malawi, have had soldiers stationed in the restive east of the DR Congo for years to assist the government in fighting armed groups.
Conflict has raged in the Central African country for decades, driven by dozens of militia groups, including fighters from the M23 rebel movement, competing for control of the region’s abundant mineral resources, allegedly with the support of Rwandan government forces. Rwanda has denied the allegations.
Renewed clashes since the beginning of the year have killed more than 3,000 people, including children in North Kivu and South Kivu, according to UN estimates. More than a dozen foreign peacekeepers have also died in fierce fighting with the rebels.
The M23 took control of Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province, over the weekend, weeks after seizing Goma, a city on the Rwandan border and the capital of DR Congo’s North Kivu province.
On Tuesday, the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) reported that three boys were executed by rebels after refusing to hand over weapons taken from an abandoned military camp in Bukavu.
“Our office has confirmed cases of summary execution of children by M23 after they entered the city of Bukavu last week,” OHCHR spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani told journalists in Geneva.
Burundian soldiers reportedly fought alongside Congolese forces in an attempt to secure Kavumu, which is home to the airport serving Bukavu.
Uganda announced on Tuesday that its soldiers have entered Bunia, the capital of DR Congo’s eastern Ituri province, to help local forces in combating armed groups. The landlocked country’s army have been deployed in the neighboring state since 2021 under an agreement with the DR Congo government. Earlier, Ugandan military commander Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba warned rebels in the town to surrender their arms within 24 hours.
