SUMMARY
The AFP-Gutabara also known as Twigwaneho Makanika was a Banyamulenge dominated armed group in the Hauts-Plateaux region in Sud Kivu Province of DR Congo (Zaire). The group emerged in early 2020 under the leadership of Colonel Michel Rukunda, commonly known by his nom de guerre, Makanika, after his defection from the Congolese national army (FARDC).
The group was founded during a period of ethnic conflict and insecurity in the the South Kivu highlands. Makanika, a Banyamulenge officer formerly associated with the Républicains Fédéralistes (FRF) rebel group—which had been integrated into the national army in 2011—broke away from the FARDC to form AFP-Gutabara. His stated purpose was to protect the Banyamulenge community, a Tutsi-speaking ethnic minority that has historically faced marginalization, discrimination, and attacks from other armed factions in the region.
Gutabara translates roughly as "to protect", and the group viewed itself as a self-defense force. It was created in reaction to mounting violence from other Congolese armed groups, particularly those aligned with the CNPSC (Coalition Nationale du Peuple pour la Souveraineté du Congo), a powerful coalition of Mai-Mai militias that oppose Banyamulenge armed actors and accuse them of being foreign-backed.
AFP-Gutabara was headquartered in Nyamara, an area in the Hauts-Plateaux. The group operated primarily in the highland zones, where most of the Banyamulenge population is concentrated. These regions are mountainous and difficult to access.
The group maintained a structured command-and-control hierarchy, reflecting its leadership’s military background. AFP-Gutabara operated not in isolation but as part of a wider network of Banyamulenge self-defense groups. It closely allied with other militias, notably Ngumino and Twighaneo. The group aimed to organize the Twighaneo self-defense group under its organisation. Together, these groups coordinated military operations against perceived threats from CNPSC-affiliated Mai-Mai groups and sometimes clashed with FARDC units accused of favoring their adversaries. AFP-Gutabara was embroiled in complex regional geopolitics. The group was accused of receiving external support from both Rwanda and from the Rwandan opposition RNC. These allegations, fueled tensions and suspicions among local communities and neighboring countries, contributing to the volatility of the area.
AFP-Gutabara joined AFC on 15 December 2023. After this date, AFP-Gutabara ceased to exist as a separate actor in the UCDP data. Michel Rukunda died on 19 February 2025 in a drone strike conducted by the Congolese army.
Ngumino (derived from guma ino, ‘stay here’ in Kinyamulenge) also known as MPCC (Mouvement populaire pour le changement du Congo, Popular Movement for Changing the Congo) was a Banyamulenge ethnic militia active in the Haut Plateaux of Uvira and Fizi territories, Sud Kivu Province of DR Congo (Zaire). The group originate from armed mobilization in 2007 when some former FRF transformed the group into a politico-military movement which locally became known as Gumino. FRF gave up armed struggle and its military wing integrated into the FARDC in 2011 but Ngumino stayed in the region to protect the Banyamulenge.
The original Ngumino was led by Colonel Richard Tawimbi. Tawimbi had been part of AFDL in 1996 before falling out with the Rwandans. In 2003 he joined FRF but he split from the group when they integrated into FARDC in 2011. Richard Tawimbi travelled to Kinshasa in August 2012 to be part of negotiations with the government, after this Tawimbi remained in Kinshasa and the extent of his leadership was unclear. In January 2019 Tawimbi was arrested. When Tawimbi moved to Kinshasa in 2011 the group was left under the leadership of Nyamusharaba Shaka and Colonel André Semahurungure Muhasha. Semahurungure was killed in September 2019. In 2022 the group was led by Colonel Olivier Murindangabo.
Ngumino was based in Kajembwe, in the Hauts Plateaux of Uvira.
