SUMMARY
FPIC (Force patriotique et intégrationniste du Congo) also known as Chini Ya Kilima was a Bira dominated armed group active in the Chini ya Kilima groupement in Irumu territory, Ituri Province of DR Congo (Zaire). After a leadership quarrel in late 2022 and early 2023 the group changed name to FPIC Chambre noire sanduku.
The group wanted to reclaim the land occupied by Hema in Irumu territory but also put forward local political demands. FPIC considered Bira omitted from the list of members of the local Ituri government led by Jean Bamanisa Saïdi.
FPIC was active in the Irumu territory and targeted Democratic Republic of the Congo security forces and mainly non-Bira civilians, in particular Bahema, in the vicinity of Bunia. In early 2023 the group was headquartered in Nyakunde.
The structure of FPIC was unclear but the former 2018 presidential candidate Radjabho Tebabho Soborabo, of the political party CUC (Congolais unis pour le changement, Congolese united for change) was allegedly the founder of the group. In December 2022 FPIC experienced a dispute over leadership when the group was to change military commander from General Songambele Selyabo to Tondabo Erabo (aka General Herode). After armed confrontations between followers of the two the group splintered with the majority following Herode.
The group was allegedly allied to FRPI dissidents, ALC and CODECO–BTD.
URDPC (Union des révolutionnaires pour la défense du peuple congolais, Union of Revolutionaries for the Defense of the Congolese People) also known as CODECO (Coopérative économique pour le développement du Congo, Cooperative for the Development of Congo) was a Lendu dominated armed group active in the Ituri Province of DR Congo (Zaire). Originally established as an agro-religious cooperative, CODECO was loosely linked to FRPI an Irumu-based rebel group. The group began its transformation into a militant organisation in 2017 when Mukwake Mambo a prominent Lendu leader associated with the original CODECO cooperative began mobilizing Lendu youths and ex-combatants from the FNI another old Ituri militia. Initially operating without a formal name, Mambo's armed movement began attacking Hema communities escalating intercommunal violence in Ituri. By 2018, the group had become widely referred to as CODECO.
The political military movement URDPC was created on 19 September 2018 with an aim of uniting the ethnic militias in Ituri under one banner. In 2019 leadership passed to Justin Ngudjolo who publicly declared himself leader of the "armed group of Wago forest". Following Ngudjolo's death in March 2020, the group splintered into multiple factions. The core URDPC faction came under the leadership of Kiza Charite. Other key commanders of URDPC were Songa Mbele, Désiré Londroma and Bassa Zukpa in charge of communication. By 2023 most splinter factions had rejoined the URDPC umbrella.
URDPC initially claimed to train Lendu fighters to defend the population against the Hema. Under Ngudjolo, URDPC articulated three main objectives: to defend the DR Congo against foreign aggression; to guarantee freedom and prosperity on national soil; and to fight for the rule of law. The group has also repeatedly claimed to defend the Lendu population from harassment by the Congolese national armed forces (FARDC). URDPC participated in several rounds of negotiations with the government aimed at securing a Ceasefire and promoting disarmament. On 27 June 2025, the group signed the Aru 2 peace protocol between local armed groups, traditional chiefs, and community leaders in Ituri. The protocol provided for the cessation of hostilities and all violence against civilians, defense forces, and security forces.
URDPC was mainly active in the Djugu territory of the Ituri Province in DR Congo (Zaire) which borders Uganda near Lake Albert. Initially based in the Wago forest, close to the shores of Lake Albert, the group later established its headquarters in Ndalo village and, briefly in 2022, in Jiba village. In 20205 the group was headquartered in Dyaro, in the Dhendo groupement in Walendu Pitsi sector. Over time, URDPC expanded its operations into Mahagi and Irumu territories. URDPC came to control several mining sites using proceeds to finance its military operations.
Membership estimates varied over time. In 2019, Justin Ngudjolo claimed to command 2350 fighters. URDPC primarily recruited from the Lendu community, including youths and former members of earlier Lendu militias active during the Ituri conflict.
While URDPC lacked a clear chain of command in its early years, by 2022 it had reorganized into five brigades, reflecting a more formalized military structure. In 2025,URDPC cosisted of six brigades and the group operated through a loosely structured hierarchy centred around the Chief of Staff. Strategic directives was issued by the Chief of Staff to subordinate local commanders, who in turn decided on day-to-day operations. URDPC has maintained fluctuating alliances with other Lendu militias known as CODECO, primarily CODECO-BTD, ALC and FDBC. Many of these groups rejoined URDPC umbrella in 2023, in a renewed attempt to centralize Lendu armed resistance under a single organizational structure.
URDPC fighters were primarily equipped with small arms and light weapons. The group financed its operations through control of mining areas, local taxation, and looting.
In 2025, URDPC increasingly supported the Government of DR Congo in its fight against the newly formed Hema militia CRP. On 28 October 2025 reports indicated that more than 50 000 URDPC had been mobilized to join the RAD (Réserve armée de la défense) a national defence force intended to reinforce the capacity of FARDC on the ground to defend the region against foreign threats.
