SUMMARY
The Congrès National pour la Défense du Peuple (CNDP, National Congress for the Defence of the People) was a predominantly Congolese Tutsi rebel movement active in North Kivu, DR Congo (Zaire). It was formed as CMDP (Military Counsel for the Peoples Defense) in 2005 and had also been referred to by Nkunda as the Anti-Genocide Brigade. Before being formally created on 26 July 2006 by General Laurent Nkunda. CNDP emerged from the merger of Nkunda’s political network, Synergie nationale pour la paix et la concorde, and his military organization, the Conseil militaire pour la défense du peuple (CMDP, Military Council for the Defence of the People). ANC (the Congolese National Army) was the armed military wing of the movement.
CNDP’s stated incompatibility concerned control of the Government of DR Congo. On 8 September 2005, Nkunda issued a statement accusing the government of sowing ethnic division in the Kivus, organizing ethnic cleansing in North Kivu through the military-integration process, and suppressing political opposition. He stated that all necessary means should be used to force the government to step down. CNDP also presented itself as a defender of Congolese Tutsi security and political interests. Its central demands included the defeat of FDLR, the return of Congolese Tutsi refugees from Rwanda, and protection against anti-Tutsi discrimination and violence.
CNDP emerged from the failures of the peace process that followed the Second Congo War. Laurent Nkunda had previously been an official in RCD and had refused to fully participate in the military-integration process. Under the peace agreements, former rebel forces were to be integrated into the FARDC. Many former RCD officers feared that integration and redeployment outside the Kivus would weaken their local authority, economic interests, and capacity to protect Congolese Tutsi communities. Nkunda mobilized these dissident officers in North Kivu. In 2004, forces loyal to Nkunda and reportedly supported by Rwanda attacked government positions in South Kivu.
CNDP operated mainly in Masisi and Rutshuru territories in North Kivu. Its political headquarters were located in Kitchanga and Kilolirwe in Masisi territory. The group controlled or influenced substantial parts of the Masisi highlands, Rutshuru territory, and strategic roads leading toward Goma, Rwanda, and Uganda. By the end of 2008, CNDP controlled or influenced large areas of Masisi and Rutshuru, including important border crossings, roads, and mining areas.
CNDP was mainly composed of Congolese Tutsi fighters, although other ethnic communities were also represented. Around 80 percent of its senior commanders were reportedly Tutsi, and the movement received support from Congolese Tutsi political and business elites. The group recruited from former RCD officers, former FARDC soldiers, local Congolese Tutsi communities, and other armed networks in North Kivu.
CNDP maintained a hierarchical military and political structure. Nkunda established military training camps, including at Bwiza, where officers received training in military strategy and ideology. He created a general staff and reorganized his forces into brigade and battalion structures. The group also developed a state-like administration in areas under its control. It had a flag, national anthem, local administrators, systems of taxation, a radio station, and a military hospital.
CNDP was estimated to have controlled between 4000 and 7000 combatants at its peak. Its fighters were equipped with small arms and heavier weapons acquired through former RCD and FARDC networks, external support, and battlefield captures. CNDP also controlled strategic economic resources. From September 2007, it controlled the Bunagana border post to Uganda and mining areas in Masisi territory. The movement was financed through taxation, cross-border trade, mining interests, businessmen in Goma, and support from Congolese and Rwandan diaspora networks.
Laurent Nkunda served as CNDP chairman and supreme commander until January 2009. Bosco Ntaganda joined Nkunda in early 2006 and became CNDP chief of staff. Ntaganda had previously served as chief of staff of the UPC (Union des patriotes congolais) in Ituri. After Nkunda was arrested in January 2009, Ntaganda became the principal military figure involved in the integration of CNDP forces into FARDC. CNDP’s political and military leadership also included officers and representatives linked to former RCD networks.
CNDP maintained relations with Rwanda, which reportedly provided political advice, limited material assistance, and assistance with recruitment of political and military personnel during much of the group’s existence. Rwandan support increased during the military escalation in 2008, when Rwandan units reportedly crossed the border to support CNDP operations. CNDP also fought against FDLR and presented the FDLR presence in eastern DR Congo (Zaire) as a principal justification for its armed mobilization.
After several failed negotiations, the Government of DR Congo and CNDP signed an agreement on 23 March 2009. CNDP agreed to integrate its troops into FARDC and the police and to transform itself into a political party. Around 5300 CNDP soldiers were integrated into the national army, while CNDP officers received a substantial share of senior military positions in North and South Kivu. Former CNDP forces subsequently fought alongside FARDC against FDLR. The agreement marked the end of CNDP as a separate armed actor in UCDP data.
