At his bar in Bukavu—an eastern Congolese city recently seized by Rwandan-backed M23 rebels—Adolphe Amani poured from his dwindling beer supply, serving a few customers watching a Sunday football match on TV. But with his primary supplier, the Heineken-owned Bralima brewery, shut down, he expects to close his doors within days.

"We can't hold out any longer," Amani lamented, as the near-empty bar echoed with match commentary. "We can’t pay rent, utilities, or taxes."

M23 rebels, allegedly armed and supported by Rwanda according to U.N. investigators, have launched their most successful campaign in over a decade. After capturing Goma in January, they advanced south, seizing Bukavu. Rwanda denies involvement, despite widespread international sanctions and condemnation.

With no peace deal in sight, civilians and businesses in rebel-held areas are bearing the brunt of the crisis. Food and essential goods prices are soaring, displaced farmers cannot harvest crops, banks are closed, and cash reserves are drying up.

"We can no longer access our fields or bank accounts. The economy is completely paralyzed," said Bukavu resident Merci Kalimbiro.

The economic downturn has hit both small businesses and major corporations. After government troops and their Burundian allies withdrew, looting swept Bukavu. A prison break compounded the chaos, leaving businesses exposed.

Heineken’s Bralima brewery was among the hardest hit—thieves ransacked beverage depots, stormed the brewery, and severely damaged its control room. Days later, another depot in Uvira, 100 kilometers south, was looted by militia fighters and soldiers.

"It will take time to assess the full extent of the damage," a Heineken spokesperson told Reuters. "Businesses urgently need an end to this conflict and a genuine peace process."

Bralima’s struggles are emblematic of the wider economic shockwaves. Congo, home to over 100 million people, is a key market for Heineken, with nearly 14% of the company’s global revenue coming from its Middle East and African operations.

The Dutch brewing giant owns four breweries across the country, producing brands like Heineken, Primus, and Amstel. The Bukavu facility alone employs around 1,000 people directly and indirectly. Prior to the conflict, Goma, Bukavu, and Uvira accounted for nearly a third of Heineken’s business in Congo. Now, with violence persisting, Heineken has suspended operations in all three cities.

The Bralima shutdown has forced Amani to furlough over 30 employees at his bar and hotel. But the fallout extends beyond jobs and beer.

Bralima’s water consumption accounts for around 40% of the revenue for REGIDESO, South Kivu’s state water utility. "With Bralima out of operation, we are struggling," said REGIDESO’s commercial manager, Jean de Dieu Kwibuka Babwine.

The financial shortfall has left the utility unable to purchase water purification chemicals. Once those supplies are depleted, water services could be shut down entirely.

"That would be a catastrophe," Babwine warned.

To stay afloat, some Bukavu businesses have started importing beer from neighboring Rwanda and Burundi. Heineken’s Rwandan subsidiary, Bralirwa, produces its own versions of Bralima’s popular brands.

Amani, however, refuses to follow suit. "We must wait for Bralima to reopen," he insisted. "I will not sell products from Rwanda. They are our enemy."