Lasting peace in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) depends on accurate and thorough storytelling. On February 6, 2026, Reuters published an article titled “Clashes intensify in remote east Congo, challenging US mediation”, in which it reports violence taking place in the remote region of eastern DRC, particularly in Minembwe. The Reuters article highlights how the intensifying clashes in “strategic highlands” like Minembwe are complicating the Trump-led peace efforts. The escalation has overwhelmed local resources, such as hospitals in Fizi. The Banyamulenge are the majority of the local population in Minembwe.
However, the absence of firsthand accounts often reduces civilians in Minembwe to being viewed primarily through the lens of armed combatants. Despite almost a half-decade of an imposed humanitarian blockade in Minembwe, Reuters does not appear to address these atrocities. The reporting does not give clues of hundreds of combatants with life-threatening injuries in Minembwe health facilities, where medical supplies are (un)intentionally blocked by belligerents. Briefly, Reuters fails to account for voices of ethnic minorities in South Kivu.
Overview of Reuters as a Global Media Organisation
Overall, Reuters, as a media organisation, is considered among premier global news agencies, with credible international reporting and real-time news distribution. It has been operating since 1851. Reuters’ Twitter account has more than 25 million followers. Reuters’ Instagram account has around 3 million of followers, roughly 4 million of subscribers of its YouTube channel and more than 8 million of likes on its Facebook page. The media has approximately 2,600 journalists in 165 countries, including the DRC, who report in more than 12 languages.
Reuters’ content reaches millions of monthly readers, viewers and subscribers across digital platforms, social media and partner outlets. The media is trusted by other journalists, analysts, investors, policymakers and decision-makers. Reuters is widely regarded as a source of accurate and impartial reporting. Its news feeds also power editorial content for other media organisations.Top of FormBottom of Form Reuters would be a platform to inform world leaders and policymakers about the specifics of violence in South Kivu and around Minembwe.
Reuters reporting: Intensification of clashes in eastern DRC
The “Clashes intensify in remote east Congo, challenging US mediation” reported that fighting has intensified in eastern DRC, especially around the remote highlands of South Kivu near Minembwe, complicating the Washington accords and US-led peace process. It reads that clashes are opposing the Congolese army and the AFC/M23 rebel group — allied with a local group, Twirwaneho, formed by Banyamulenge. The reporting remarks that clashes have stretched local hospitals and humanitarian resources.
At Fizi’s hospital, staff say the flow of wounded shows no sign of easing, and they worry they will not be able to cope much longer.
The Reuters reports on the Fizi hospital and seemingly overlooks how the hospital in Minembwe has equally been overwhelmed. Without details, Reuters refers to the fact that AFC/M23 has briefly seized Uvira city as they claim protecting communities like the Banyamulenge. While the justification may not reflect the real intention of the rebels, the security situation of the Banyamulenge receives little coverage in the reporting. Reuters states that the conflict’s remoteness and strategic terrain make it harder for mediators to stem the violence.
What is omitted or underexplored in Reuters reporting
The following are underexplored aspects of violence in South Kivu and in Minembwe:
- The impact of violence on civilians in Minembwe:
The reporting doesn’t cover firsthand accounts and ways the conflict affects civilians specifically : the number of displaced families, destruction of homes and villages, killings, and militias’ targeted violence against civilians whom they believe should not live in the DRC. While Minembwe has been at the centre of regional confrontation, it is hard to sense the persistence of armed attacks and humanitarian needs in a context characterised by conflict-imposed blockade.
- Historical grievances and targeted violence:
Drivers and triggers of violence are sometimes compounded together. Understanding violence needs to account for its historical causes and grievances. Nonetheless, the long-standing political marginalisation and the contestation of Banyamulenge as Congolese native, land disputes, and roots of local tensions are slightly referenced. The deeper context of why members of the Banyamulenge community are viewed as both a target and justification for rebels is unlikely unpacked.
- Militias targeting civilians portrayed “invaders”:
A quick scan using a few keywords shows that violence in Minembwe has not received fair attention in the Reuters reporting. Using these keywords, the search yields (number of articles in brackets): Fizi (5), Uvira (25), Banyamulenge (4), Minembwe (3), and Congolese Tutsi (130). While violence in Minembwe erupted in 2017 and escalated in 2019, the Reuters earliest article (referring to Congolese Tutsi) was published in May 2022. As far as this assessment is concerned, there is limited information regarding attacks in Minembwe that escalated in 2019. Independent human-rights reporting suggests that pro-government militias have specifically targeted Banyamulenge civilians in Uvira and surrounding areas (see also here). However, the Reuters articles do not address these claims and their implications on the regional fighting.
Recommendations for Improved Conflict Reporting
I argue that conflict reporting should offer more space to those whose voices are rarely heard. To improve coverage, Reuters and other international media need to cover the impact of violence on civilians in Minembwe. In November 2025, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) reported that Minembwe is entirely under humanitarian blockade. The humanitarian blockade has persisted and is worsening today as violence escalates.
Reporting that provides the historical context on why the Banyamulenge are politically marginalised and how that shapes local tensions would help readers make sense of why violence persists. Firsthand testimonies from affected families, civil society representatives in Minembwe, and independent observers would offer ground-level nuance beyond high-level military analysis, making the article’s portrayal of civilian experience more comprehensive.
Delphin R. Ntanyoma
Twitter: https://x.com/Delphino12
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