Congo War Security Review, June 25, 2025

Data Cutoff: June 25, 2025, at 1 P.M. EST

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*CTP will cover the US-brokered peace agreement between the DRC and Rwanda in an Africa File Special Edition on June 27.*

Read CTP’s analysis on former DRC President Joseph Kabila’s return to the DRC in Kabila's Return to the DRC: Africa File Special Edition.

Read CTP’s latest analysis on the war in the eastern DRC in the weekly Africa File here. To receive the Africa File and Congo War Security Review via email, please subscribe here.

Key Takeaway: Former DRC President Joseph Kabila arrived in the M23-controlled South Kivu provincial capital of Bukavu. Pro-Congolese government Wazalendo fighters clashed with M23 on the outskirts of Bukavu amid Kabila’s visit. The Congolese and Rwandan presidents met separately with former Nigerian head of state and peace mediator Olusegun Obasanjo to discuss regional peace efforts. Wazalendos attacked M23 in several villages on the RP1030 in Masisi district in North Kivu. The Congolese army is in talks to establish a security partnership with India.

Northern Axis: Lubero-Butembo-Beni-Bunia

Nothing significant to report.

Southern Axis: Bukavu-Uvira-Baraka-Kalemie

Pro-Congolese government Wazalendo fighters attacked M23 positions on the outskirts of Bukavu in South Kivu. Wazalendo elements attacked M23 in the Cirunga and Bushwira groups in Kabare district on June 24.[i] Cirunga is approximately six miles west of Bukavu on a local road. Wazalendo fighters have clashed with M23 on the outskirts of Bukavu since mid-June.[ii]

Northwest Axis: Masisi-Walikale-Lubutu-Kisangani

Wazalendo fighters attacked M23 in several villages on the RP1030 in Masisi district in North Kivu. The Congolese news outlet Actualite.cd reported that Wazalendo fighters attacked M23 using light and heavy weaponry in the villages of Kashuga, Kalembe, and Kalonge, on June 24.[iii] The three villages are located on the RP1030 on the border between Masisi, Walikale, and Rutshuru districts.

Southwest Axis: Bukavu-Kamituga-Shabunda-Kindu

M23 clashed with Wazalendos south of Bukavu in Walungu district in South Kivu. Congolese media reported that M23 clashed with the militia fighters in an area near Muzinzi village—about 30 miles south of Bukavu on the RN2—on June 24.[iv]

Major Political Developments

Former DRC President Joseph Kabila visited the M23-controlled South Kivu provincial capital of Bukavu. Kabila met with traditional, religious, and civil society leaders in the provincial capital on June 24 and June 25.[v] Fighting between M23 and Wazalendo fighters has taken place in and near Bukavu in recent days.[vi] French state media reported on June 24 that Kabila avoided traveling to Bukavu from Goma by road and arrived in Bukavu via boat on Lake Kivu.[vii]

The Congolese and Rwandan presidents met separately with former Nigerian head of state and peace mediator Olusegun Obasanjo to discuss regional peace efforts. Rwandan President Paul Kagame met with Obasanjo in Kigali, the Rwandan capital, on June 24.[viii] Kagame’s office dispelled rumors on social media that he was terminally ill after he had not appeared in public in two weeks before the meeting.[ix] Obasanjo flew to Kinshasa, the Congolese capital, to meet with DRC President Félix Tshisekedi on June 25.[x] Obasanjo is one of the facilitators of the African Union-backed peace initiative that seeks to address the conflict between the DRC, Rwanda, and M23. Obasanjo has met with key political actors in the Great Lakes for several weeks to discuss peace efforts and “outline the contours” of an inter-Congolese dialogue.[xi]

The Congolese army (FARDC) is in talks to establish a security partnership with India. The French investigative outlet Africa Intelligence reported on June 26 that FARDC staff have been in “regular contact” with Indian defense companies to purchase military equipment since early 2025.[xii]