SUMMARY
Zaire self-defense group, also known as Zaïre, Zaïrois, FPAC (Front populaire d’autodéfense en Ituri or Front populaire d’autodéfense du Congo) and later ADCVI (Auto-défense des communautés victimes de l’Ituri), was a Hema-dominated self-defence armed group active mainly in Ituri province in DR Congo (Zaire). The group emerged in northwestern Djugu territory and later operated across Djugu, Irumu and Mahagi territories. It maintained a political branch referred to as P5 or G5, and presented itself as a self-defence movement for Hema and other non-Lendu communities affected by violence in Ituri.
Zaire self-defense group emerged from youth self-defence mobilization among Hema and other non-Lendu communities in northern Ituri, especially Hema, Alur, Ndo Okebo, Mambisa and Nyali. The mobilization was initially framed as protection against FPIC and Lendu armed factions, including later URDPC. The decision to take up arms was contested within these communities, and those opposing armed mobilization were sometimes accused of complicity with the attackers. Local sources feared that the renewed mobilization could reproduce the self-defence dynamics of the 1990s Ituri conflict.
Zaire self-defense group’s objectives were mainly local, communal and territorial. It claimed to defend Hema and other non-Lendu communities against Lendu militias and other armed actors. It also sought to control and protect areas inhabited by its support communities, secure access to mining zones, and resist URDPC advances. Over time, the group moved beyond local self-defence and became involved in offensive operations, ethnic screening, taxation, gold mining, and political-military alignments. By 2024, parts of the group had developed contacts with AFC, marking a shift toward broader political and military alliances beyond its original self-defence claims.
The group was mainly active in Djugu and Irumu territories, with later activity also reported in Mahagi. Its main strongholds included Dala, Mbidjo and Dhego in Djugu territory, and Sota and Shari in Irumu territory. It also maintained positions or influence around Bule, Fataki, Iga-Barrière, Mabanga, Berunda, Nizi, Nyaka, Akwe, Damas, Lalo, Banana, Lopa, Lodjo, Pluto and the Mongbwalu mining area. The Nyaka mine in Dhego groupement was particularly important to the group’s leadership and finances. In Irumu, Zaire elements were also reported in Badia, Nkunda and Basiga.
The group’s constituency was Hema-majority but broader than Hema alone. It included or claimed to defend members of the Hema, Alur, Ndo Okebo, Mambisa and Nyali communities, sometimes described as the five victim communities of Ituri. Former UPC combatants joined the group from at least 2021, linking it to older Hema armed networks from the Ituri war. In its earlier phase, the group reportedly reached around 700 fighters, but later mobilization, fragmentation and rearmament expanded its operational manpower. In January 2025, around 2500 armed combatants participated in a contested disarmament ceremony, and an estimated 2500-3000 combatants later returned to their operational areas, either still armed or only nominally demobilized.
Zaire self-defense group kept a low public profile and much of its organization remained opaque, but early sources already described it as structured, organized and armed. Zawadi was identified as the group’s leader, while Tchotum was described as commander of operations. Later reporting identified “General” Zawadi Vajeru as overall leader and Logo Marine Mugenyi as an operational commander. Babala Fidele Castro Ngabu acted as a youth leader in Iga-Barrière, while Babale Ngadjole, also known as Pharaon, and Fabrice Maki Jawyambe led Zaire elements in Lodjo and Pluto. The group coordinated through village chiefs, youth leaders and local community networks.
The group’s political and administrative structure became more visible under the ADCVI label. In January 2024, an ADCVI document listed Logo Mugenyi Marine as provincial president, Maki Baraka Amos as first provincial vice-president, and representatives of the Alur, Nyali and Ndo Okebo communities as other provincial officials. By January 2025, Maki Baraka Amos signed a communique as provincial president of the movement. Baraka Maki Amos later became one of the most important senior Zaire/ADCVI figures, especially in the Mabanga area, where he consolidated military and economic power.
Militarily, Zaire self-defense group initially relied heavily on machetes but gradually acquired increasing numbers of AK-type assault rifles. It later obtained heavier equipment, including rocket-propelled grenades, mortars, VHF radios, improvised explosive devices, militarized pick-up trucks, boats and small commercial drones. The group established a training centre in Pilipili in November 2021. Some of its weapons came from hidden stocks held by former UPC combatants, some material was received from FARDC members, and later arms flows were linked to regional networks and gold purchases. By 2026, FARDC discovered important Zaire weapons caches in Mabanga, including AK-pattern rifles, RPGs, 60 mm and 80 mm mortars, communications equipment, improvised explosive devices and several thousand rounds of ammunition.
Gold was central to Zaire self-defense group’s financing. The group dug for gold, protected mining areas, taxed mining operations and controlled access to mine sites. Zawadi controlled the Nyaka mine in Dhego groupement, while later commanders expanded taxation and protection arrangements across Djugu mining areas. By 2024, mining remained the group’s main source of financing, and it reportedly controlled close to 300 mining sites in Dala, Mabanga, Mbidjo and Nyaka. Baraka Maki Amos consolidated economic power in Mabanga, imposed monthly fees on mining cooperatives, used forced labour known as salongo, and laundered part of his income through hotels in Bunia. Gold from areas under Zaire control was also linked to cross-border smuggling through Uganda.
Zaire self-defense group fought mainly against URDPC and other CODECO factions, but also clashed with FPIC, FARDC and PNC. Some operations against CODECO factions were reportedly carried out jointly with FARDC members, and some Zaire roadblocks were located close to FARDC checkpoints. The group also attacked or threatened Lendu and Bira civilians, checked ethnicity at roadblocks, blocked Lendu and Bira access to some areas, and killed persons identified as Lendu. In areas under its control, it imposed taxes, enforced compulsory labour, punished non-compliance and restricted journalists and outsiders.
Zaire self-defense group’s relations with other armed and political actors shifted over time. The group initially presented itself as a local self-defence force aligned with communities targeted by CODECO/URDPC. From May 2022, Yves Kahwa Panga Mandro sought to become the group’s main leader and played a role in its reorganization, training and arms trafficking networks. The group also maintained complex relations with FARDC, including limited cooperation with individual FARDC members and access to some state-linked material, while also attacking FARDC and PNC positions at different moments.
Internal tensions produced the emergence of MAPI, the Mouvement d’autodéfense populaire de l’Ituri. MAPI was created in December 2022 and claimed to represent Zaire self-defense group and the Hema community. It drew some members and former leaders from Zaire but developed its own command structure under Ndjangu Liripa Geremi and expressed willingness to join the Nairobi process, which Zaire had not joined. The creation of MAPI was contested by Hema notables, G5 and some Zaire combatants, who saw it as an attempt by provincial authorities and MONUSCO to weaken Zaire. Tensions between Zaire and MAPI later produced armed clashes and disputes over mining areas.
From 2024, Zaire self-defense group increasingly intersected with AFC-linked networks. In January 2024, ADCVI publicly denied collaboration with AFC and reaffirmed its support for the Ituri peace process. However, AFC continued attempts to build alliances in Ituri. AFC delegates met Zaire leaders in Dala in February 2024, and Zaire leaders, including Logo Marine, later met AFC representatives in Kampala. Logo Marine also worked closely with Thomas Lubanga and helped facilitate the training of Zaire elements in Tchanzu. Zaïre/ADCVI and MAPI combatants were trained in AFC-controlled areas, and some combatants later returned to Ituri or remained on standby in Uganda.
The emergence of CRP in 2025 accelerated Zaire self-defense group’s fragmentation. Thomas Lubanga led efforts from Kampala to create CRP/FRP, and Zaire commanders Fidele Babala, Pharaon and Logo Marine played roles in the new movement. Logo Marine became deputy chief of staff of CRP/FRP. CRP was officially announced in Berunda, a Zaire stronghold, in March 2025. Although Baraka Maki Amos maintained a public stance of loyalty to the Congolese government and denounced collaboration with AFC, other Zaire-linked commanders moved into CRP structures. MAPI and Self-Defense (Zaire), both signatories to the Aru II agreement, were later reported absent from follow-up mechanisms because they had joined CRP.
Zaire self-defense group did not end through a single demobilization process. Its January 2025 disarmament ceremony in Mabanga was widely contested, as a large number of combatants participated but only a limited number of weapons were surrendered. The group retained arms, training capacity, mining revenue and operational networks after the ceremony. During 2025, it fragmented further as some commanders and combatants joined CRP, others remained attached to local mining and self-defence networks, and Baraka Maki Amos continued to exercise influence in Mabanga until his death in November 2025. By 2026, the name Zaire self-defense group referred both to remnants of the original self-defence network and to elements that had been absorbed into, or overlapped with, CRP-linked structures.
