SUMMARY
ALC (Alliance for the Liberation of Congo, Deuxième brigade Tazama de l’Armée de libération) was a Lendu dominated armed group active in the Ituri Province of DR Congo (Zaire). Colloquially, all Lendu militias in the Ituri area was known as CODECO. CODECO was an agro-religious cooperative that had been linked to the Irumu-based FRPI rebel group. ALC splintered from them main CODECO group URDPC following the fragmentation of the group after the death of Justin Ngugjolo. Ngugjolo was killed in March 2020 during a period of both military pressure from the Congolese army (FARDC) and parallel negotiations.
The CODECO factions continued to cooperate after the fragmentation of URDPC. ALC gained particular prominence when it became the first CODECO faction to sign a unilateral ceasefire with the government on 15 July 2020. However, after demanding the release of prisoners adhering to the group in September 2020 they briefly left the peace process and clashed with government forces.
The group did not articulate a distinct incompatibility with the government of DR Congo. Its activities were linked to local Lendu armed mobilization, communal violence, competition among CODECO factions, and negotiations over disarmament and demobilization. It was therefore not treated as a state-based armed opposition group in UCDP data. The group’s clashes with FARDC occurred in the context of military operations, disarmament efforts, and disagreements over the peace process rather than a stated challenge to control the Congolese government.
ALC operated mainly in Irumu territory in Ituri Province, particularly in Walendu Tatsi and around Ezekere. The group was pre-cantoned in Ezekere, where it assembled combatants during the disarmament and peace process. Its area of activity formed part of the wider zone of CODECO-related armed mobilization in Djugu and Irumu territories.
ALC was predominantly composed of Lendu fighters, including former members of URDPC and other CODECO-associated armed networks. The group emerged as a separate faction after the fragmentation of CODECO and maintained links with other Lendu militias. Available information did not provide a reliable estimate of its total membership. In 2020, approximately 200 ALC combatants, including children, entered Bunia during an incident related to the group’s demands concerning detainees held in Bunia prison.
The group maintained a local armed structure centered on its commander and other prominent figures. Justin Maki Gesi, also known as Le Petit Loup de la Montagne, was the group’s commander. Chusta Douglas was another prominent figure within ALC and was among those who signed an agreement on behalf of the faction. Reporting also identified an operations commander named Elisha among armed actors associated with the Sambaza group, but available information did not establish his exact position within ALC.
ALC’s military activities included participation in the wider CODECO-related violence in Ituri and clashes with FARDC. The group gained particular prominence when it became the first CODECO faction to sign a unilateral ceasefire agreement with the government on 15 July 2020. On 4 September 2020, ALC combatants entered Bunia town and demanded the release of prisoners associated with the group. The incident caused panic among civilians and was followed by heavy clashes with FARDC. In November 2020, the group’s leadership announced that ALC remained part of the peace process.
ALC maintained close relations with other CODECO factions after the fragmentation of URDPC. Although the factions had separate leaders and occasionally competed with one another, they continued to cooperate in some military and political activities. In 2022, ALC cooperated militarily with URDPC. By the end of 2022, ALC had been absorbed into URDPC and operated under its leadership. This marked the end of ALC as a separate actor in UCDP data.
