SUMMARY
CMC (Collectif des mouvements pour le changement, Coalition of Movements for Change) was an umbrella movement of predominantly Hutu-Nyatura armed groups in North Kivu and a number of alleged Raia Mutomboki affiliates in South Kivu, DR Congo (Zaire). Its armed wing was known as the Force de défense du peuple (FDP, People’s Defense Force). CMC was created in January 2015, but became more prominent during the political crisis surrounding President Joseph Kabila’s constitutional mandate in late 2016 and early 2017.
CMC sought to overthrow the Government of DR Congo and reduce what it described as Rwandan influence in eastern DR Congo (Zaire). In a manifesto published in February 2017, the movement declared that President Kabila had no longer been constitutionally recognized as president from 20 December 2016. It also committed itself to fight what it described as a dictatorial, undemocratic, and unconstitutional military system in Kinshasa.
CMC maintained a presence in both Kivu provinces but was strongest in Bukombo groupement in southern Bwito chefferie, Rutshuru territory, North Kivu. The dominant Nyatura Domi faction maintained its headquarters in this area. CMC also claimed to include factions from South Kivu, Ituri, and Kasai, but available information did not establish concrete organizational links with armed groups in all these areas.
CMC was composed mainly of Hutu Nyatura fighters in North Kivu. Groups that were associated with, or claimed affiliation to, the movement included Nyatura Domi-FPC, APRDC, Nyatura-FDP, Nyatura John Love, Nyatura Jean-Marie, Nyatura Niyonzima, Nyatura Nzayi, and Nyatura Kasongo. Some Raia Mutomboki factions in South Kivu were also reported to have been affiliated with CMC. The coalition did not fully integrate its member groups, however, and most affiliated militias continued to operate under their own names and local command structures.
CMC was a loosely coordinated political and military umbrella rather than a unified armed organization. Its armed wing, FDP, was intended to coordinate the coalition’s military activities. CMC fighters were primarily equipped with small arms and light weapons, while the coalition’s military capacity depended on the forces and local networks of its affiliated Nyatura and other armed groups.
The president of CMC was Athanase Murundura, also known as Baobab and Athanase Kuba Marandura. He was reportedly based outside DR Congo (Zaire), with some sources placing him in Tanzania. Jean-Claude Habyarimana Mbitse, also known as Jules Mulumba, served as the movement’s spokesperson. Dominique Ndaruhutse, also known as Domi, was the principal military leader within CMC and headed the influential Nyatura Domi faction in Rutshuru territory. Muhawenimana Bunombe, also known as John Love, served as a senior commander within the coalition before he was killed in April 2019.
CMC cooperated with APCLS, FDLR, Nyatura Kasongo, and NDC-R. Its constituent Nyatura factions also maintained local alliances that changed over time. In late 2021, CMC experienced internal divisions and fragmentation. These divisions weakened the coalition’s ability to coordinate its affiliated armed groups.
On 9 May 2022, CMC ceased to operate as an independent group when it joined the Alliance des résistants de la patrie (ARP), a coalition formed in Pinga to fight M23 alongside the Government of DR Congo. Through this integration, former CMC elements later became part of the VDP alliance established in 2023. Dominique Ndaruhutse subsequently assumed an important role within VDP, where he reportedly coordinated military operations, administration, and logistics.
