Congolese media operating under the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo continues to report that the coalition of Congolese forces has captured Twirwaneho and M23 in four areas located in the Lelenge sector of the Fizi territory. However, this information is not true, according to our sources.
As these media outlets explain, the areas that the coalition of Congolese forces has captured from Twirwaneho and M23 are Rugezi, Gakangala, Bigaragara, and Kalongi.
The information started circulating this Sunday Morning, April 13, 2025, where one of the reports came from a well-known journalist in Eastern Congo named Daniel Michombero.
It also explained that the fighting between the coalition of Congolese forces and Twirwaneho and M23 in those areas occurred yesterday, Saturday, April 12, 2025.
However, according to information from those areas, the fighting that took place yesterday, Saturday, between the coalition of Congolese forces and the Twirwaneho and M23 groups occurred in Nyangabyuma, Kabanju, and Gasiro. These are areas located very far from Kalongi.
Furthermore, in those areas where the fighting occurred, Twirwaneho and M23 have taken control. Besides capturing them, they also destroyed the positions of this coalition of Congolese forces located in Kabanju.
After Twirwaneho and M23 fought and destroyed the military positions of the Congolese army, Minembwe Capital News learned that these government forces immediately fled to the Matanganika area heading towards Milimba, known as a stronghold of FDLR and Wazalendo as well as FARDC.
Journalists working under the authority of Kinshasa reported that those areas were taken over by government forces.
In the case of Gakangala, it is known that it has been controlled by Twirwaneho since 2021 until now. Kalongi has been under the control of this group since the beginning of 2020 until now.
Meanwhile, Bigaragara and Rugezi have also been taken over by Twirwaneho and M23 at the beginning of this week, after intense fighting with the Congolese army, which ended with this coalition being pushed back, these areas known for their rich mineral resources, mainly gold, coltan, copper, and others, are being liberated by these two groups.
Testimonies from Minembwe Capital News, attributed to residents of this area of Rugezi, indicate that since Twirwaneho and M23 liberated Rugezi and its surroundings, they have not left the area.
The testimony continues to show that the Twirwaneho and M23 groups control all areas on the other side of the large Rwiko River originating from Minembwe center.
Reports indicate that the gathering of Congolese troops monitoring Kalongi, Gakangala, Rugezi, and Bigaragara is false information.
A resident in Minembwe who provided us with this news said: “What we know is that Wazalendo, FDLR, and FARDC are unusually losing their positions. As for the other information, we do not know where they are getting it from.”
