SUMMARY
NDC-R (Nduma Défense du Congo-Rénové, Reformed Nduma Defence of Congo) was a predominantly Nyanga armed group active mainly in Walikale, Masisi and Lubero territories in North Kivu, DR Congo (Zaire). The group was formed in July 2014 when Guidon Shimiray Mwissa, the deputy commander of NDC, split from the movement led by Ntabo Ntaberi Sheka. Guidon left with most of NDC’s cadres and created NDC-R. The immediate cause of the split was officially described as Sheka’s alleged embezzlement, but financial disputes, internal authority struggles and questions about possible integration into FARDC also contributed to the division.
NDC-R presented itself as a local defence movement that sought to protect local communities, especially Nyanga communities, and fight the Rwandan Hutu rebel group FDLR. Its objectives also included eventual integration into the national army of DR Congo (FARDC). The group did not articulate a clear incompatibility over control of the Congolese government or a specified territory. Its activities were instead connected to local security, inter-group conflict, opposition to FDLR, control over mining areas, taxation, and competition among armed groups in North Kivu.
NDC-R grew out of the Sheka-led NDC network in Walikale. Guidon Shimiray Mwissa had previously been involved in Mayi Mayi mobilization during the 1998–2003 war. He was integrated into FARDC after the peace process, defected again in 2007 and joined Forces Divines Simba, before participating in the creation of NDC in 2008. Within NDC, he became deputy commander and commanded the Aigle Lemabé Brigade. After the 2014 split, NDC-R gradually expanded from former NDC strongholds and became one of the largest armed groups in North Kivu.
The group was headquartered in Irameso in Walikale territory. It operated mainly in Walikale but also expanded into parts of Masisi, Rutshuru and Lubero territories. Important areas included Irameso, Pinga, Kasugho, Kilambo, Kashuga, Bukumbirwa, Bunyatenge, Fatua, Buleusa, Oninga, Mutongo, Fungulamachu, Makokundu and mineral-rich areas in southern Lubero and Walikale. The group also claimed wider reach into Tshopo and Maniema at times. Its areas of activity were marked by competition over mines, trade routes, local taxation and relations with FARDC and other armed groups.
NDC-R was predominantly composed of Nyanga combatants, but its leadership and membership also included Rega, Shi, Kobo, Boyome and other communities. Its recruitment drew on local community support, transfers from other armed groups, defectors, captured combatants and forced recruitment. Some Nyanga and Hunde community leaders encouraged youth to join the movement to defend community lands. The group also recruited and used children, including as combatants, porters and carriers of weapons.
NDC-R had a more structured military organization than many smaller Mayi Mayi groups. It maintained a general staff, political and administrative roles, territorial officers, brigade commanders and specialized military positions. Guidon Shimiray Mwissa was the group’s commander and main political-military leader. Gilbert Bwira Chuo served as deputy commander before the later split. Other senior figures included Freddy Mitamba, Christian Mwissa Hangi, Déo Bafosse Mparanyi, Marungu Magua, Cheke Suleimani, Masiya Sita Tondeze, Philémon Bauma, Mukuli Bauma Sibolite, Jean-Claude Kamutoto, Kasereka Kifagiyo, Eustache Kabaya Suwamene, Désiré Ngabo Kisuba and Mapenzi Lwanche Likuhe. The group used brigade structures, including the Ouragan and Dragon brigades, and later created additional units as it expanded.
NDC-R’s military capacity increased significantly after its formation. In 2016, it had been estimated at several hundred combatants, and by 2018 it had grown to around 1000-1250 active combatants. By early 2020, NDC-R combatants claimed that the group had reached several thousand fighters, although this figure should be treated cautiously. The group operated with small arms and other light weapons, and it acquired weapons through battlefield capture, local networks and support from some FARDC elements. It was organized into sections, companies, battalions and brigades. It also collected taxes and used mining revenue to fund operations, pay combatants and purchase weapons and ammunition.
NDC-R financed itself through taxation of civilians, traders and mining areas. It levied monthly taxes on adults, taxed access to gold mines, imposed roadblock fees and collected payments on gold production, timber, charcoal and other goods. The group used jetons as proof of payment. Failure to pay could result in fines, detention, beatings or forced labour. The group’s control over mines and trade routes contributed to its military growth and local influence, but also made it deeply predatory toward civilians.
NDC-R initially cooperated closely with FARDC units in operations against FDLR. It also cooperated with UPDI/Mayi Mayi Mazembe and other local armed groups in anti-FDLR campaigns. Some UPDI/Mayi Mayi Mazembe elements were absorbed into NDC-R in 2016, while other Mazembe factions remained autonomous. Following the split in APCLS, NDC-R cooperated with APCLS-R. The group also maintained relations with parts of FARDC, which at times supplied weapons, tolerated NDC-R positions or used NDC-R factions as proxies. These relations were opportunistic and changed over time.
The group’s alliance with UPDI/Mayi Mayi Mazembe deteriorated in 2017 as NDC-R consolidated control over mining areas and taxation. NDC-R increasingly clashed with Mazembe factions in southern Lubero, especially around Miriki and Kashugo. NDC-R also fought APCLS, Nyatura factions, CMC/FDP and FDLR, while its relations with FARDC alternated between cooperation, tolerance and confrontation. By 2019-2020, NDC-R had become a major armed actor in North Kivu and used both military pressure and taxation to control areas under its influence.
In July 2020, NDC-R itself split into two factions. One faction remained under Guidon Shimiray Mwissa, while the other was led by Gilbert Bwira Chuo, the former deputy commander. The split resulted from months of internal tensions, disputes over resource sharing, Guidon’s loss of support from key stakeholders, especially within FARDC, his loss of control over mining sites, his failure to defeat FDLR, sanctions against him, an arrest warrant, and concerns that his image and abuses could obstruct future integration into FARDC. The Bwira faction retained many of the group’s combatants and cooperated with FARDC, while Guidon withdrew toward Walikale, rebuilt parts of his force and regained some positions. Fighting between the factions, and between their respective allies, caused killings, displacement, looting and intimidation of civilians.
Guidon Shimiray Mwissa remained the most important figure associated with NDC-R, but the group’s unity was seriously weakened after the 2020 split. Bwira’s faction later saw significant surrenders, while Guidon’s faction rebuilt through local support, recruitment and renewed access to mining resources. Some Bwira faction officers later switched back to Guidon. FARDC used the Bwira faction faction as a proxy against Guidon’s faction, while Guidon built temporary alliances with former enemies, including APCLS, Nyatura Abazungu and Mayi Mayi Simba led by Mandaima. Guidon Shimiray Mwissa surrendered to the Congolese government in August 2021, but he remained an important figure in the later VDP environment.
In 2022, the resurgence of M23 changed the coalition environment in North Kivu. Local armed groups gathered in Pinga in May 2022 and formed a coalition to resist M23. The meeting included NDC-R Guidon, APCLS, CMC/FDP, Nyatura-Abazungu and other armed actors, with FARDC representation present. The coalition produced a non-aggression pact and framed its mobilization as defence of the country and its territorial integrity. In UCDP coding, NDC-R ceased to operate as a separate actor on 9 May 2022 when it joined the Alliance des résistants de la patrie (ARP) in Pinga. ARP later became part of broader pro-government mobilization against M23 and Rwanda-backed forces, and former NDC-R elements were later incorporated into or associated with VDP structures.
