Lawrence Kanyuka, the spokesperson of the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC/M23), has alleged that heavy drone strikes and ground offensives targeted Minembwe and its surrounding areas early Friday morning, resulting in civilian casualties.

In a statement posted on his official X account on Friday, February 20, 2026, Kanyuka said the attacks began in the early hours of the day and had “sown death and terror” among innocent civilians in Minembwe and nearby communities.

“Since the first hours of this morning, drone strikes and ground offensives have been spreading death and terror, massacring innocent civilian populations in Minembwe and its surroundings,” he wrote.

Kanyuka described the alleged operations as a “flagrant violation of international humanitarian law” and accused those responsible of acting with “absolute disregard for human conscience.”

Minembwe, located in South Kivu Province in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, has long been a flashpoint in the region’s complex security crisis, marked by clashes between armed groups, local militias, and Congolese armed forces.

As of the time of publication, there has been no immediate response from the Congolese government or independent confirmation of the reported strikes and casualties.

The situation in eastern Congo remains volatile, with repeated reports of armed confrontations, displacement of civilians, and accusations of human rights violations from various parties involved in the conflict.

Further details on the scale of the alleged attacks and the number of casualties were not immediately available.