SUMMARY

VDP (Patriotic Defence Volunteers, Volontaires pour la Défense de la Patrie), commonly referred to as Wazalendo, was a Congolese pro-government armed alliance formed to combat the resurgence of the M23 rebellion and its Rwandan supporter in the eastern DR Congo (Zaire).

The alliance brought together a broad range of Congolese armed groups, including former rivals, unified around the common objective of fighting M23 and Rwanda. The M23 insurgency resumed in November 2021, triggering a renewed phase of the conflict with the Government of DR Congo. As M23 gained territory and Rwanda’s support for the movement became increasingly evident, several armed groups convened in Pinga, a town in the Nord Kivu province of DR Congo (Zaire) in May 2022. There, they signed an agreement not to fight one another and established a coalition called Alliance des résistants de la patrie (ARP) to fight M23 alongside the Government of DR Congo. Key members of ARP included APCLS, CMC, NDC-R, Mayi Mayi Kifuafua, MPA (Popular Movement for Self-Defense, Mouvement populaire d'autodefense), CMC/FAPC (Coalition for movements of change, Self-defense force of the Congolese people, Collectif des mouvements pour le changement, Force d’autodéfense du peuple congolais) and NDC-R-GBS. In late September 2023, ARP transitioned into VDP, formalizing the coalition under a structure through which the Congolese government could channel official support to armed groups fighting M23. In 2023 VDP consisted of approximately 8000 combatants.

VDP was mainly active in Nord Kivu Province, although its operations expanded into Sud Kivu as the conflict spread southward. The coalition’s members retained control over specific territorial strongholds. APCLS was responsible for Masisi and parts of Walikale. NDC-R operated in Lubero and Walikale and CMC in Rutshuru and central Masisi. In the fist half of 2025, VDP units remained active across Masisi, Rutshuru, Nyiragongo, and Walikale territories, as well as on the outskirts of Goma. Guidon Shimiray Mwissa reportedly moved his headquarters from Pinga to Kibati in Walikale territory in 2025 to coordinate operations against M23 advances.

Membership estimates varied over time. In 2023, VDP reportedly consisted of approximately 8000 combatants drawn from numerous armed factions operating in eastern Congo. Besides the VDP core proxy force, additional Wazalendo fighters not formally integrated into the coalition also participated in combat operations against M23, many of whom claimed to be VDP.

VDP operated under a federated structure rather than a unified chain of command, with member groups maintaining their own internal hierarchies while coordinating around shared strategic objectives. Its leadership brought together veteran commanders with long experience in eastern Congo’s militia landscape including the former APCLS commander Janvier Karairi Boingo, the former CMC commander Dominique Ndaruhutse alias Domi and the former commander of NDC-R Guidon Shimiray Mwisa. In 2024, overall military command reportedly passed to NDC-R leader Guidon Shimiray Mwissa. APCLS leader Janvier Karairi Boingo reportedly headed intelligence operations, while CMC leader Dominique Ndaruhutse coordinated military operations, administration, and logistics. Jules Mulumba served as spokesperson and liaison officer with authorities in Kinshasa. Despite the establishment of a formal coordination structure, VDP remained a loose coalition characterized by weak cohesion, internal rivalries, and competition over territory, taxation, and government support. In late December 2023, several factions broke away from VDP to form the Front commun de la résistance (FCR). In 2025, parts of the VDP coalition defected to the AFC. The most significant split involved the FPP/AP faction led by Kasereka Kabido, which officially joined AFC in March 2025. Additional elements that left VDP for AFC were Mapenzi led units from NDC-R, units from Mayi Mayi Kifuafua, and PARECO-aligned units led by Colonel Nzayisenga Jadot. These defections were partial and fragmented, involving specific commanders and units rather than entire VDP-aligned groups.

VDP fighters were primarily equipped with small arms and light weapons. The coalition received logistical, financial, and military support from the government of DR Congo and operated in close coordination with the FARDC. The office of the governor of Nord Kivu reportedly coordinated VDP operations and managed monthly financial support from the government. FARDC also supplied weapons, ammunition, uniforms, food, transportation, and air support to VDP units. Joint operations between FARDC and VDP became increasingly common, reflecting growing operational interdependence between the coalition and the Congolese armed forces. In 2025, VDP members were increasingly promised or recruited for integration into the RAD (Réserve armée de la défense de la République démocratique du Congo), a national defense reserve force intended to reinforce the operational capacity of the FARDC.