Conspiracy Tracker Great Lakes

Fact-based tracking tool for #Conspitheories, #FakeNews, #HateSpeech and #Negrophobia in the #GreatLakes of Africa.

[Conspiracy Tracker Great Lakes @Conspiracygl]

CTGL is a research and fact-based tool which monitors conspiracy theories and provides latest news and trends in disinformation, negrophobia, and hate speech in the Great Lakes region of Africa.

[Conspiracy Tracker Great Lakes @Conspiracygl]

#DRC #SouthKivu
⚠️ Report of massive buildup of #DRC-Government coalition forces at Rwanda's border!

A massive reinforcement of #DRC government troops in South Kivu near DRC-Rwanda border has been reported this week by multiple local sources.

This follows #AFC_M23's last month withdrawal to #Katogota, located a few kilometers from #Kamanyola, at the DRC-Rwanda border.

- 12 trucks of troops comprising the "Hiboux" #FARDC special unit, #FDLR elements, Burundian troops #FDNB, #Wazalendo, and white mercenaries, have been seen crossing from #Burundi through Kavimvira (#Uvira) border into #DRC.

- 7 out of 12 trucks took the direction towards #Kamanyola (at the border with #Bugarama in Rwanda) and started deploying at the #Katogota line. Some troops were deployed around #Lubarika, others took the direction of #Lemera towards #Minembwe. The #DRC-Government coalition forces closed traffic on the #RN5 near #Kamanyola preventing all movement of population, stranding the civilians in #Kamanyola.

- 5 of the 12 trucks took the direction towards #Baraka through the zone controlled by Mai-Mai #Yakutumba.

- In addition, #DRC-government troops were seen crossing the #Rusizi river on foot from Burundi into DRC near #Luvungi, joining the rest of the troops deployed near the DRC-Rwanda border in #Katogota.

This #DRC-Government troops buildup at Rwanda's border creates a high risk of escalation during a fragile peace process, whereas Rwanda has been asked by Washington to lift its defensive measures.

[Conspiracy Tracker Great Lakes @Conspiracygl]

#DRC #FARDC_Wazalendo #Uvira
In this shocking video shot in #Uvira, and shared on social media, we can see and hear #FARDC commander of the 33rd military region, General Fabien Dunia Kashindi, distributing $50,000 to #Wazalendo, that were directly sent by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, Guy Kabombo Muadiamvita.

General Kashindi tells the Wazalendo that the Minister wanted to come visit them but that he said it would not look good because of what he calls "bad events", that is, because they "killed a child" and "have been killing each other".

This comes amid killings of civilians by FARDC/Wazalendo in #Uvira, #Sange, #Luvungi and the surrounding territory from which #AFC_M23 have recently withdrawn.

Multiple local sources have reported that within two weeks after the withdrawal of #AFC_M23 from the territory on #RN5 between #Sange and #Katogota, more than 37 civilians have been killed including children.

This is in addition to multiple arrests in and around #Uvira of people accused of "collaborating with AFC/M23". Families have reported people missing after being taken by #FARDC_Wazalendo.

Areas vacated by #AFC_M23 in South Kivu are facing a peak in insecurity, armed robbery, killings, and arbitrary arrests.

[Conspiracy Tracker Great Lakes @Conspiracygl]

#Ituri #CODECO #FARDC
🔴 BREAKING: Massacre in #Ituri of about 300 #Hema, mainly women & children, in a joint #CODECO-#DRC Government forces operation, on April 28, in Bassa, Djugu territory, chieftaincy of the Bahema Badjere.

It has been reported by locals that at this time the Mabanga-based #FARDC general has instructed to #CODECO to neutralize anyone trying to access the crime scene to bury the bodies.

@StateDept @MONUSCO @franceonu @UKUN_NewYork @USUN @UNinSomalia @UN_Liberia @MofaQatar_EN @volker_turk @antonioguterres @US_SrAdvisorAF @SecRubio @AEI @AJENews @Reuters @SABCNews @Sophie_Mokoena @wembi_steve @ACLEDINFO

[Conspiracy Tracker Great Lakes @Conspiracygl]

#Kwibuka32 #Rwanda #TV5Monde
En pleine période de commémoration du Génocide des Tutsi, @TV5MONDE joue le jeu des négationnistes qui affirment que le Rwanda pratiquerait une mémoire selective (Victoire Ingabire) ou un "apartheid de la memoire" (Jean-Luc Habyarimana l'appelle), en commémorant uniquement les victimes tutsi du génocide, et en omettant la place des Hutu en tant que victimes ou héros.
https://t.co/AFsRC9R782

Dans ce Journal Afrique du 21 avril, @TV5MONDE affirme en effet que "A la différence des Justes d'Europe qui ont sauvé des Juifs pendant la Shoah, aucun statut officiel n'existe à ce jour pour ceux du Rwanda".

Pourtant, il y a 5 ans, dans un reportage intitulé "Rwanda: portrait d'un 'Juste'", @TV5MONDEINFO, le 18 janvier 2021, confirme (extrait ci-dessous) que : "271 Justes ont été recensés au Rwanda..." et que "les Justes ont reçu un certificat de mérite pour leurs actions et plusieurs hommages nationaux."

En plus de cette reconnaissance nationale du statut des Justes par le recensement et les certificats et hommages qui leurs sont rendus, et comme réaffirmé dans cet extrait de 2021, le Mémorial de Kigali à Gisozi, inauguré en 2004 par l'Etat, joue un rôle central dans la reconnaissance des "Justes" ou Indakemwa (ceux qui sont intègres) au Rwanda. Il y a une section dans le Mémorial qui leur est dédiée.

Le statut des Justes du Rwanda fait en effet partie intégrante de la politique de la memoire nationale au Rwanda.

@TV5MONDE propage ici une fausse information qui participe non seulement à soutenir les thèses négationnistes et idéologiques néo-génocidaires qui continuent à presenter un vrai danger pour la paix et la stabilité dans la région mais également à perpétuer la souffrance des rescapés pendant cette période douloureuse de commémoration.

[Conspiracy Tracker Great Lakes @Conspiracygl]

At #Kwibuka32 in Ottawa, Dr. Bojana Coulibaly underscored the imperative to preserve the historical truth of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, reject denial and revisionism, and name the crime accurately as established in international law.

She showed how genocide ideology—rooted in colonial-era racism and perpetuated through hate speech, conspiracy theories, and state-backed violence—continues to fuel atrocities in the Great Lakes region, especially in eastern DRC.

Highlighting how the same forces and narratives that enabled the genocide against the Tutsi still target Tutsi communities today, she warned against blaming victims who take legitimate measures of self-defense.

Dr. Coulibaly called on the international community to uphold its responsibility to protect, confront genocidal networks and their enablers, and turn “never again” into concrete action for justice, security, and dignity for all.

Link to YouTube via @Conspiracygl:
https://t.co/MPJz4IN1wF

[Conspiracy Tracker Great Lakes @Conspiracygl]

#DRC #AFC_M23 #Kibumba #EU
EU-funded Virunga Energies "restarted its activities in 2025 thanks to the security restored by AFC/M23", announced on April 4 the representative of Virunga Energies.

According to him, "development is possible when there is security". He particularly expressed his gratitude to the provincial government led by Erasto Bahati Musanga and the AFC/M23 movement represented by AFC/M23 Coordinator @CNangaa and Deputy-Coordinator @bbisimwa.

The security and state authority restored by AFC/M23 in Rutshuru enabled the completion of a water supply project in #Kibumba, a town having running water for the first time in history.

Today's event and inauguration of the #Kibumba water supply co-funded by the government of the Netherlands and the AFC/M23 provincial government evidences that the #EU partners with AFC/M23 on a number of projects that have successfully been completed in AFC/M23 administered zones.

[Conspiracy Tracker Great Lakes @Conspiracygl]

#DRC #SouthKivu #Minembwe
⚠️ During the indiscriminate drone strikes today by the Kinshasa coalition in the villages of Mikenke and Gakenke, a kamikaze drone killed a 12 year-old boy named Pacy Basita.

This targeting of civilians in Minembwe by the DRC government constitutes a war crime and a clear violation of ceasefire and the Washington agreements.

[Conspiracy Tracker Great Lakes @Conspiracygl]

#DRC #Rubaya #AFC_M23

What is the significance of the Rubaya coltan mine today and how does the mainstream narrative on Rubaya fail to address the root causes of the DRC conflict ?

Teddy Mazina's visit to #Rubaya’s Gacombé coltan mine shows an artisanal, locally run operation with thousands of diggers and traders, but no armed men, no uniforms, and no children or pregnant women working in the pits since #AFC_M23 took control of the area, after pushing out the DRC government coalition and the Burundian troops.

The mine functions through a clear chain: diggers extract and wash the ore, traders buy and transport it to the market where it’s certified and taxed, and a whole “mining village” economy (families, schools, markets) lives off this activity.

Since AFC/M23’s arrival in Rubaya, armed groups like #Wazalendo and the @fdnbbi have left the mine area, order has replaced previous chaos, workers’ daily pay has significantly increased (from about $1 to around $5–10), and AFC/M23 has instructed its own soldiers and cadres to stay out of mining operations.

This report disputes the label of “blood minerals”, emphasizing that: (a) there are no soldiers or weapons in or around the mine today, (b) work is voluntary and seen as a livelihood, not forced labor, and (c) children who once worked in the pits have been pushed out by AFC/M23 and are now back in school.

Historically, the area and nearby village were controlled by various armed groups, including #Nyatura, #Mai_Mai, and more recently the Burundian army, who profited from the mine, but today security is provided by AFC/M23 without any involvement in extraction.

The broader claim that Congo’s current war is driven by Rubaya's coltan which would be "smuggled into Rwanda" is challenged in this report: the conflict is tied to long-term issues like refugees asking to return and ethnicized hate speech, while the coltan here remains, above all, a local resource sustaining a civilian community.

Report & photos by @TEDDYMAZINA.
Video images by @CoulibalyBojana for @Conspiracygl.

Link to report on Youtube: https://t.co/hB3GzI70Fz

[Conspiracy Tracker Great Lakes @Conspiracygl]

#DRC #Rubaya #AFC_M23

What is the significance of the Rubaya coltan mine today and how does the mainstream narrative on Rubaya fail to address the root causes of the DRC conflict ?

Teddy Mazina's visit to #Rubaya’s Gacombé coltan mine shows an artisanal, locally run operation with thousands of diggers and traders, but no armed men, no uniforms, and no children or pregnant women working in the pits since #AFC_M23 took control of the area, after pushing out the DRC government coalition and the Burundian troops.

The mine functions through a clear chain: diggers extract and wash the ore, traders buy and transport it to the market where it’s certified and taxed, and a whole “mining village” economy (families, schools, markets) lives off this activity.

Since AFC/M23’s arrival in Rubaya, armed groups like #Wazalendo and the @fdnbbi have left the mine area, order has replaced previous chaos, workers’ daily pay has significantly increased (from about $1 to around $5–10), and AFC/M23 has instructed its own soldiers and cadres to stay out of mining operations.

This report disputes the label of “blood minerals”, emphasizing that: (a) there are no soldiers or weapons in or around the mine today, (b) work is voluntary and seen as a livelihood, not forced labor, and (c) children who once worked in the pits have been pushed out by AFC/M23 and are now back in school.

Historically, the area and nearby village were controlled by various armed groups, including #Nyatura, #Mai_Mai, and more recently the Burundian army, who profited from the mine, but today security is provided by AFC/M23 without any involvement in extraction.

The broader claim that Congo’s current war is driven by Rubaya's coltan which would be "smuggled into Rwanda" is challenged in this report: the conflict is tied to long-term issues like refugees asking to return and ethnicized hate speech, while the coltan here remains, above all, a local resource sustaining a civilian community.

Report & photos by @TEDDYMAZINA.
Video images by @CoulibalyBojana for @Conspiracygl.

Link to report on Youtube: https://t.co/hB3GzI70Fz

[Conspiracy Tracker Great Lakes @Conspiracygl]

#DRC #SouthKivu

🔴 Update #DRC conflict: Drone strikes by #DRC government coalition in South Kivu targeted and destroyed resident homes, a local radio, livestock, and a church.

- On March 25, 2026 at 4pm, an #FARDC-controlled drone strike led to the destruction of the community radio Tuungane in Madegu Centre.

- On March 25, 2026 at night, #FARDC-controlled drone strikes on Kiziba village destroyed resident homes and killed livestock.

- On March 23, 2026 at night: #FARDC-controlled drone strike destroyed the 5th CELPA church in Ilundu.

Source: Umoja Network*

*Umoja Network is a consortium of 23 NGOs located in the Midlands and Highlands in South Kivu

[Bojana Coulibaly, Ph.D. @CoulibalyBojana]

The false claim of an “assassination attempt” against DRC First Lady, while being a public opinion manipulation tactic, is a typical case of state RWANDOPHOBIA.

It shows how Rwandophobia has become state policy in DRC, profiling Congolese Rwandophones & Tutsi as “assassins”.

[Conspiracy Tracker Great Lakes @Conspiracygl]

#DRC #HRC61 #AFC_M23 #Hate_Speech
In this part of our interview, Jean-Paul Shaka, Esq. highlights that the targeting of Tutsi in EDRC— by the the GoDRC & allied genocidal forces including #FDLR & Wazalendo—constitutes acts of genocide.

He adds that "through hate speech there is a genocidal intent and ideology driving all the violence... there are words that accompany the violence that make no doubt about the intent behind the killings"

Full interview with @JeanPaulShaka1:
https://t.co/vv7iC7aK0u

[Conspiracy Tracker Great Lakes @Conspiracygl]

#UNHRC61 #DRC #AFC_M23
In this exclusive Interview, AFC/M23 Senior Advisor Jean-Paul Shaka, on the side of #HRC61, denounces the violations by DRC Government in South Kivu, calling for the DRC Government to be held accountable for failing to protect civilians.

Shaka additionally adresses the issue of widespread destruction by state-supported Wazalendo of infrastructure or property belonging to Tutsi Banyamulenge as a clear message sent by the DRC Government that the Banyamulenge are not wanted there, and should never come back.

He denounces the actions of Burundi with its troops fully involved in war crimes and crimes against humanity in DRC.

Jean-Paul Shaka also discusses the status of the Doha process, the ceasefire monitoring mechanism, and the next steps in the peace process.

Full interview of @JeanPaulShaka1 for @Conspiracygl
https://t.co/vv7iC7aK0u

[Conspiracy Tracker Great Lakes @Conspiracygl]

#HRC61
Lawyer Bernard Maingain, in an interview with @Conspiracygl, on the side of the UN Human Rights Council 61st Session, announced that a complaint was filed at the #ICC against DRC General Sylvain Ekenge for hate speech against the Tutsi minority.
https://t.co/L3npoPqbl3

[Conspiracy Tracker Great Lakes @Conspiracygl]

#DRC #Rubaya #Masisi
This week, the residents of #Rubaya in Masisi territory, including children, fled the drone attacks operated by mercenaries, contracted by the #DRC Government, supported by #FDLR. The AFC/M23 security forces welcomed the IDPs. This comes as DRC Government continues to launch kamikaze drones in Masisi and Minembwe, violating the ceasefire and the Washington and Doha peace agreements, while targeting civilians from Congolese Kinyarwanda speaking communities in Eastern Congo.

Full transcript (translated from Kinyarwanda) ⤵️:
"I want to say to you
don't worry
we cannot accept that children this age
go back to live in refugee camps
those people they can come as they wish
as many as they want
but in the struggle we fight, God is with us
it is the divine forces that lead our struggle
people who fight for freedom
never lose the fight
thinking that they are coming from Katoyi
and that they are many
they are not even putting up the fight
they were putting up in Goma
they were putting up in Sake
or that they were putting up in Rubaya
or that they put up in Bukavu
do you understand, do we agree?
we agree
do not worry
you will go back home
us, we want peace
them, they are asking for ceasefire
and for the war to end
for us to sit down at the negotiation table for peace
so we accept
but them what do they do
and what did they do
they woke us up
they woke us up
do not worry, do we agree?
do not worry
do not worry, be strong
we are here for you
do we agree?
we are here for you
now you know what they did
they told us "come"
now they came to call us
to wake us up
we are awake
now that they don't want peace
now that they want war
they are going to get it
they are going to feel it
we won't take too much of your time
we are here to comfort you and we are sorry for what you went through
know that we are with you
don't worry you will go back home very soon
and you will live there forever
and you will never be refugees again
thank you all, stay strong
being in pain is not dying
it is not dying
here there is shelter
you can stay here
and rest for the night
for the rest
we will return home
in three days we will return to Rukumbire
when they came to Rukumbire
they started burning the houses
why do those people burn houses
do they have a problem with the houses? (= are the houses to them the enemy?)"

[Conspiracy Tracker Great Lakes @Conspiracygl]

"The international community seems not to learn from history... Everything that is happening in DRC is not new. It has happened before in Rwanda" @eugirashebuja1
https://t.co/FnN8X85t3S

[Conspiracy Tracker Great Lakes @Conspiracygl]

#HRC61
This week, Rwanda's Minister of Justice, Dr. Emmanuel Ugirashebuja at the UN Human Rights Council 61st Session in Geneva, warned against inaction & impunity for hate speech in the Great Lakes region, resulting in extreme forms of violence including genocide, such violence occurring today in #DRC. @eugirashebuja1 speaking to @CoulibalyBojana for @Conspiracygl.

[Conspiracy Tracker Great Lakes @Conspiracygl]

#HRC61
This week, Rwanda's Minister of Justice, Dr. Emmanuel Ugirashebuja at the UN Human Rights Council 61st Session in Geneva, warned against inaction & impunity for hate speech in the Great Lakes region, resulting in extreme forms of violence including genocide, such violence occurring today in #DRC. @eugirashebuja1 speaking to @CoulibalyBojana for @Conspiracygl.

[Conspiracy Tracker Great Lakes @Conspiracygl]

La @MONUSCO peut-elle être un interlocuteur crédible suite à sa collaboration avec des groupes armés?

La @MONUSCO s'invite comme acteur de "vérification de cessez-le-feu" en #RDC en se rendant à Goma sous administration de l'AFC/M23.

Nous revenons sur la responsabilité de la mission onusienne dans le conflit en #RDC dans le cadre du Centre Conjoint de Coordination des Opérations basé à l'aéroport de Goma jusqu'en janvier 2025, et sur son soutient direct à la coalition gouvernementale, ainsi qu'aux groupes armés dont les #FDLR.

Reportage: @TEDDYMAZINA
Images: @CoulibalyBojana
Sous-titres en anglais
Lien YouTube: https://t.co/AAzh5wMwQq

[Conspiracy Tracker Great Lakes @Conspiracygl]

Goma under #AFC/#M23: 1 Year Later
Where is #Goma after 1 year of AFC/M23 administration ? What were the challenges and priorities of AFC/M23 in Goma since January 2025?

Report by @CoulibalyBojana & @TEDDYMAZINA for @Conspiracygl
YouTube link: https://t.co/d17KnunROE