Government-allied
Wazalendo
militiamen have threatened to kill or capture one reporter and to burn down another’s radio station because of unfavorable coverage, as frontlines shift under
diplomatic pressure
for peace in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The
Rwanda-backed
M23 and Congo River Alliance (AFC) rebels — who made unprecedented territorial gains in early 2025 —
withdrew
from several parts of South Kivu province in May, after the United States sanctioned DRC’s former
President Joseph Kabila
and the
Rwandan army
. The U.S. alleged that Kabila and neighboring Rwanda were supporting the rebel alliance in violation of December’s faltering
peace agreement
to end the decades-old conflict — a move Rwanda
condemned
as one-sided.
For journalists on the ground, the shifting frontlines have
increased the risks
they face reporting on intense
clashes
and drone strikes in civilian areas. None of the
myriad warring parties
are comfortable with the press reporting freely on their activities. Many journalists have fled eastern DRC, while those who remain face
threats
from both sides.
‘Keep publishing your stories and you’ll be killed’
Radio Tuungane’s Anne Nanduhura told CPJ she was threatened three times in June over her reporting on the government’s attacks and blockade of South Kivu’s Minembwe commune, a current hotspot and home to the
Banyamulenge
ethnic minority. The strategic highland area was captured in 2025 by the
Twirwaneho,
a Banyamulenge armed group allied with the M23/ AFC.
Radio Tuungane’s Anne Nanduhura. (Photo: Courtesy of Anne Nanduhura)
In a bid to regain control, the government and its Wazalendo allies have
encircled
the area, forcing people to
flee
and preventing the delivery of food,
medicines
, and humanitarian aid. Fighting
continues
.
“I have produced several reports focusing on drone strikes, the conflict’s impact on civilians, and the humanitarian blockade,” said the Minembwe-based mother of f
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