From December 2 to 9, 2025, heavy fighting took place in areas including Luvungi, Sange, Luberizi, and Kiliba, pitting fighters of the M23 group against the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC), supported by Burundian troops, the Wazalendo militia, and the FDLR.
This fighting occurred at a time when Burundi had around 20,000 troops deployed in South Kivu Province. Burundi suffered significant losses, including soldiers who were killed, captured, and wounded. The injured were rushed to various medical facilities, including the Kamenge Military Hospital, Tanganyika Care Polyclinic, and Kira Hospital.
M23 claims that it captured many Burundian soldiers during the fighting in the Rusizi Plain and says it will continue to respect their rights while they are in its custody, adding that it will assist them in returning home.
Although M23 did not disclose the exact number of Burundian soldiers it captured, information from South Kivu indicates that the number is in the hundreds.
On January 4, 2026, FOCODE, a Burundian organization that advocates for human rights—particularly for missing persons—announced that more than 1,000 Burundian soldiers went missing in the Rusizi Plain, and that it is unknown whether they are still alive, were captured, or fled.
FOCODE stated:
After the recent fighting in Congo, soldiers who were deployed in Kamanyola–Lubarika–Luvungi (in the Rusizi Plain) report that more than 1,000 soldiers are unaccounted for by the army. They do not know whether they lost their lives in combat, deserted, were captured, or are still wandering in the forests.”
Another reliable source in Burundi claims that the number of Burundian soldiers missing in the Rusizi Plain is 1,794. This source asserts that all of them deserted the army and that their whereabouts are unknown.
