DRC Brigade Commander Col Rugabisha killed in battle

Goma, DRC | THE INDEPENDENT | Colonel Alexis Rugabisha, commander of the 12th Brigade of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC), has been killed while on the frontlines battling the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels. In a statement released by Major General Sylvain Ekenge, the FARDC spokesperson, Rugabisha was shot dead by the rebels on February 1, 2025, while on the frontlines in Mukwija, Kalehe Territory, South Kivu Province.

Ekenge praised Rugabisha for his bravery, noting that his death represented a significant loss for both the army and the Congolese nation. Rugabisha’s killing follows the death of Major General Peter Cirimwami Nkuba, who was also shot dead by M23 rebels last month during a fierce gunfight with FARDC soldiers and their coalition forces in Kasengezi, Sake, Nyiragongo Territory. Cirimwami had visited the front line to document how the government army had stopped M23 fighters from taking over Sake town.

After capturing Goma city, M23 rebels are now advancing southwards with the aim of capturing Kavumu airport and Bukavu town. They have also threatened to push towards the capital, Kinshasa. On Sunday, Lawrence Kanyuka, the M23 rebels’ political spokesperson, released a statement calling on FARDC soldiers and Wazalendo still hiding on the outskirts of Goma city to surrender.

The DRC government has vowed to fight back and reclaim all territories under M23 control. The insurgency, which resumed in 2022, was led by Bertrand Bisimwa and Emmanuel Sultan Makenga, who captured FARDC positions in Tchanzu and Runoni in Rutshuru Territory before advancing to seize the Bunagana border. Since then, many parts of North Kivu and South Kivu provinces have been under rebel control.

In August 2024, Bisimwa and Makenga allied with Corneille Nangaa Yobeluo, former chairman of the country’s electoral commission, to amplify the insurgency against the government. The DRC government has repeatedly accused Rwanda of supporting M23, a claim both Rwanda and M23 deny. The rebels argue that their fight is against corruption, xenophobia, and discrimination within the DRC’s leadership.

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