A young woman named Nyamanoro, from Ndondo in Bijombo, who had recently been arrested and jailed for allegedly plotting to assassinate leaders of the Twirwaneho group using deceit, has been released.
Nyamanoro was pardoned and released on Friday, the 29th, after spending two days in detention in Mikenke, where she was taken after being apprehended on her return from Ndondo in Bijombo. Reports claim she had been sent by individuals close to President Félix Tshisekedi’s regime to obtain phone numbers of some Twirwaneho leaders in Minembwe, especially those of Brigadier General Sematama, known as Intare-Batinya.
Sources confirm she had even received a reward for retrieving these numbers, though the exact nature of the reward was not disclosed. Her release has stirred controversy—some believe the investigation cleared her of wrongdoing, while others argue that Twirwaneho leaders forgave her and decided to set her free.
Nyamanoro hails from Kajembwe, a locality in Bijombo Groupement, Uvira Territory—an area under the control of Gumino, a military rebel group led by Nyamusaraba, known to collaborate with the Kinshasa government. This region is also monitored by Congo’s FARDC and Burundi’s FDNB forces.
At the time of her arrest, she was reportedly found in possession of contact details of Gumino members, suggesting that she had ties with them, reinforcing suspicions that the Kinshasa government may have used Gumino to assign her this mission.
The government’s interest in Twirwaneho leaders’ phone numbers is believed to be part of an effort to launch drone strikes against them, as was the case in February, when Michel Rukunda Makanika, the former top leader of Twirwaneho, was eliminated in a drone strike.
