Armed men, whose identities remain unknown, attacked passengers on the Kiwanja-Kanyabayonga road, along National Road No. 2 (RN2), near the 17 km mark—a junction leading to the fishing enclave of Vitshumbi— on the afternoon of Friday 13 March 2026, in North Kivu, in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, an area under the control of the 23 March Movement (M23).

According to local sources, the attackers stripped the travelers of all their valuables and took some people into the bush. The victims were mostly passengers travelling from the city of Goma towards the far north of the province.

A video shared on social media by one of the victims illustrates the scale of the looting. Mobile phones, letters and cash were taken. Only his phone escaped being stolen after he had hidden it.

This incident comes against an already tense backdrop. Between October 2025 and February 2026, civil society organizations in Rutshuru territory recorded at least 24 attacks by armed groups along the Kiwanja–Kanyabayonga route, resulting in at least 13 deaths and around 30 injuries on the Mabenga–Rwindi–Kanyabayonga and Vitshumbi–Rwindi–Kibirizi sections.

According to the report, the perpetrators of these attacks remain unknown. A few weeks ago, two vehicles belonging to humanitarian organizations were also intercepted in Busendo, on the Mabenga–Rwindi section. One of these vehicles was carrying essential medicines destined for the village of Kibirizi, civil society groups lament.

These incidents are causing persistent insecurity in this region of Virunga National Park. This situation is affecting the civilian population and disrupting transport and humanitarian activities in the region.

Written by Akilimali Chomachoma