Congo War Security Review

* CTP will adjust the Congo War Security Review schedule from three times per week to every Friday, beginning on April 17. The publication will return to a triweekly schedule from June 1 through August 21. *

Data Cutoff: April 15, 2026, at 1 P.M. EST

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Key Takeaway: The Congolese government and M23 signed new technical agreements in the latest round of peace talks in Switzerland. A US-backed mining firm launched a large-scale lithium exploration program in the DRC. The Burundian army reportedly deployed additional troops to South Kivu. The Congolese army and allied forces reportedly clashed with M23-aligned militia fighters around Minembwe town in the South Kivu highlands.

Kinetic Activity in M23-Controlled Areas    

Nothing significant to report.  

Northern Axis: Lubero-Butembo-Beni-Bunia  

Nothing significant to report.  

Southern Axis: Bukavu-Uvira-Baraka-Kalemie

The Congolese army (FARDC) and allied forces reportedly clashed with M23-aligned militia fighters around Minembwe town in the South Kivu highlands. A journalist for Agence France-Presse reported that pro-Congolese government forces conducted drone attacks and clashed with M23-aligned Twirwaneho fighters in several villages surrounding Minembwe, including Bidegu and Kalingi—the latter about seven miles from Minembwe center on a local road—between April 13 and 14.[1] CTP reported previously that M23 and M23-aligned sources claimed that the FARDC conducted air attacks on Twirwaneho positions around Minembwe between April 10 and 12.[2]

The Burundian army (FDNB) reportedly deployed additional troops to South Kivu. The Burundian media outlet SOS Médias Burundi cited military sources in a social media post on April 14 who said that the FDNB has deployed an unspecified number of additional troops to Baraka town in South Kivu via the Rumonge port on Lake Tanganyika in southwestern Burundi in recent days.[3] The report said that the troops were moving toward the Fizi and Mwenga highlands.[4] The FDNB had partially redeployed troops to South Kivu via Lake Tanganyika in late December 2025 and early January 2026 after the fall of Uvira to M23.[5] French media reported in late February that the FDNB had around 5,000 troops deployed in South Kivu.[6] Human Rights Watch cited security sources on April 14 who said that the FDNB has about 4,000 troops deployed to Fizi and Mwenga.[7]

Northwest Axis: Masisi-Walikale-Lubutu-Kisangani 

Nothing significant to report.  

Southwest Axis: Bukavu-Kamituga-Shabunda-Kindu  

Nothing significant to report.  

Major Political Developments  

The Congolese government and M23 signed new technical agreements in the latest round of peace talks in Switzerland. The two sides convened for peace talks under the framework of the Doha process, reportedly near Montreux, Switzerland, on April 13.[8] Massad Boulos, US President Donald Trump’s Africa adviser, represented the United States at the talks and held meetings with senior Swiss and UN officials to discuss peace efforts.[9] French state media reported on April 14 that Qatar’s delegate was present in-person for the talks, contrary to recent reporting that Qatar would participate virtually.[10] The Congolese government and M23 signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the transfer of between 2,000 to 3,000 FARDC troops to the Congolese government and then another MOU that expands the Expanded Joint Verification Mechanism (EJVM) to include M23 personnel.[11] The two sides then reportedly moved to discuss humanitarian issues.[12] The talks are expected to conclude on April 16 or 17.[13]

Significant US-Backed Regional Economic Activity

A US-backed mining firm launched a large-scale lithium exploration program in the DRC. US mining company KoBold Metals announced on April 13 that it launched a lithium exploration campaign powered by artificial intelligence in the DRC, with plans to invest more than $50 million in the campaign by early 2027.[14] Kobold said it has already paid more than a third of the $50 million commitment to secure 13 permits across the southeastern DRC for the exploration program.[15] Kobold said that the campaign will focus on lithium deposits in the Manono region of Tanganyika province, where it is seeking to build a lithium mine near Manono town, before expanding to other areas in the country.[16] US Under Secretary of State Jacob Helberg expressed support for Kobold’s announcement on social media on April 15.[17] KoBold and the Congolese government have been engaged in a dispute with the Royal Museum for Central Africa, a Belgian history museum based in Brussels, over access to an extensive repository of the DRC’s geological archives that could be used in Kobold’s campaign.[18] The Congolese government and KoBold had signed an initial agreement in mid-2025 that paved the way for the company’s entry into the DRC’s mining sector.[19] The agreement committed Kobold to digitize geological records on the DRC held at the museum, map mineral deposits, and provide free public access to historic geoscientific data through the DRC’s National Geological Service.[20]