SUMMARY
FPB (Popular Forces of Burundi, Forces Populaires du Burundi) was a Burundian rebel group established on 23 December 2015. It formed originally under the name, Les Forces Republicaines du Burundi (FOREBU) but changed its name to FPB in August 2017. Its objective was to overthrow the Government of Burundi under President Pierre Nkurunziza because it contested Nkurunziza’s third term in office, which it saw as a violation of the country’s constitution and the Arusha Peace Agreement. It also sought to protect Burundians, as many were being killed whilst protesting against the extension of President Nkurunziza’s terms in office.
The FPB was based in the eastern area of South Kivu in DR Congo. Initially located near the Burundian refugee camp in Lusenda, the FPB relocated to the Uvira area situated closer to the DR Congo-Burundi border in early 2017. Many FPB members had previously been part of the Burundian military or police forces and participated in the failed coup attempt against President Nkurunziza in 2015 as part of the Military faction (forces of Godefroid Niyombare). Several senior members of the defense forces joined the FPB, such as police commissioner Edward Nibigira and General Philbert Habarugura, head of the armed forces. Most of the military defectors within the group were Tutsis, many of whom had been purged from the national defence forces by the government following the failed coup attempt. Despite this, the FPB remained ethnically mixed. In 2017, FPB was reported to have 300 to 500 fighters based in DR Congo.
Godefroid Niyombare was considered the leader of the FPB until August 2017. Niyombare had held the rank of Major General in the armed forces of Burundi and had served as head of the Intelligence Service, prior to being dismissed for being against President Nkurunziza’s decision to run for a third term in February 2015. He was the first Hutu to become Chief of the General Staff for the Burundian Army and had been a commander in the CNDD – FDD, rebel group, along with Nkurunziza. Niyombare led the unsuccessful coup against President Nkurunziza in May 2015, prior to the FPB’s formation (for more information, see Government of Burundi - Military faction (forces of Godefroid Niyombare)). However, Niyombare was publicly absent after May 2015 and it was suspected that he was in exile or under de facto house arrest in Rwanda and Uganda following the coup attempt. Despite claiming to have been making clandestine trips to DR Congo and Burundi, his notable absence led to an internal leadership dispute. This resulted in the name change from FOREBU to FPB, in August 2017, which was part of the overarching restructure of the group under the new leadership of Major General Jérémie Ntiranyibagira, who, like Niyombare, was a Hutu and former CNDD – FDD fighter. Among other roles, Ntiranyibagira had served as former Army Chief of Logistics Staff and as an international civil servant for the African Union before he participated in the failed 2015 coup attempt as part of the Military faction (forces of Godefroid Niyombare). Edouard Nshimirimana was a former senior army officer and the individual that announced the formal establishment of FPB on 23 December 2015. He served as the second-in-command and day-to-day leader for the group whilst General Philbert Habarugura was the military leader.
In 2016, some attacks were claimed by both FPB and RED-Tabara and there were claims that the two groups were collaborating. However, an unconfirmed statement from RED-Tabara in 2017 indicated that while it respected the FPB objective, it continued to operate as an independent group.
Evidence suggested that the Government of the DR Congo supported the FPB by allowing it to establish its bases in the country and bring supplies across Lake Tanganyika, which is located along the DR Congo and Burundi border. Reporting also suggested that the Government of Rwanda may have provided support to the FPB, although this remained unclear.
