Burundian soldiers captured in eastern DR Congo will be returned home in full compliance with human rights, said Lawrence Kanyuka, spokesperson for the AFC/M23, in a statement shared with SOS Médias Burundi on Wednesday.
Kanyuka added that the city of Uvira is now fully under M23 control and called on remaining FARDC forces and Wazalendo militias to surrender “in strict compliance with humanitarian standards.”
The statement comes as a Burundian delegation, traveling via the border region of Cibitoke, was forced to reach Luvungi in South Kivu to demand the release of captured soldiers and negotiate a secure corridor for Burundian troops surrounded in the High Plateaus to return home.
The move has placed Burundi’s government in a diplomatic and operational chokehold.
Security sources in Cibitoke said the delegation, consisting of four senior Burundian security officials, requested the release of several soldiers captured during recent clashes in the Uvira and Fizi territories, including a colonel.
The delegation also asked for a humanitarian corridor for troops trapped in the Lemera area to return safely to Burundi.
In recent weeks, AFC/M23 has advanced through several towns, including Lubarika, Mitimbili, Katogota, Luvungi, Bwegera, and Sange, cutting off many Burundian units from their usual withdrawal routes.
Some detachments reportedly reached Burundi via Kiliba, while others retreated from Bijombo or the strategic Point Zero area in Uvira.
Following the fall of Uvira, Burundian troops who had been using the city as a transit point moved to Malimba, Mugeti, Kirungu, Rubuga, and Muramvya, at risk of complete encirclement.
Military sources said units stationed in Mikalati, Point Zero, Lulenge, and Bibokoboko are considering evacuation via Lake Tanganyika to reach Rumonge in southwestern Burundi, passing through the lakeside areas of Baraka and Mboko.
Sources close to the negotiations said M23 has demanded that Burundi immediately halt all military operations in the DRC and withdraw all troops before any secure corridor is opened, further complicating Gitega’s diplomatic efforts.
Meanwhile, agents at the Gatumba border post confirmed that the main Gatumba-Kavimvira crossing on the Congolese side is now fully controlled by M23.
In response, Burundian authorities have closed both the Gatumba-Kavimvira border post and the secondary Vugizo post in Bujumbura province.