SUMMARY
PARECO (Patriotes Resistants Congolais, Congolese Patriotic Resistance) was formed on 14 March 2007 as a coalition of Mayi Mayi and Hutu militias, under the leadership of FARDC (Forces Armées de la République Démocratique du Congo, Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo) and former Mayi Mayi Colonel Sikuli Lafontaine.
PARECO emerged in response to the insurgency waged by Laurent Nkunda's CNDP (Congrès National pour la Défense du Peuple, National Congress for the Defence of the People). Its leadership comprised influential Nande, Hutu, Hunde, Nyanga, Tembo and Havu leaders, and the coalition claimed to be fighting to protect marginalised Congolese groups from CNDP warfare and from Tutsi dominance. Daniel Baloume, second-in-command of PARECO, stated in October 2007 that "Anyone who does not want peace is our enemy. Nkunda is our enemy because he will not join the Congolese army." PARECO supported the government in the conflict with CNDP, and cooperated militarily with the Rwandan Hutu-dominated rebel group FDLR (Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda, Democratic Liberation Forces of Rwanda). Although the group was multi-ethnic in composition, the Congolese Hutu had a prominent position in the group.
In 2008 PARECO was the third largest force in the Kivu-region. In that year the group was part of the Goma-conference a peace process aiming to finding a durable solution for all conflicts in the Kivu provinces. According to the 23 March 2009 Ihussi Accord PARECO was to transform itself into a political party. In October 2010 the first branch of the group, was integrated into the national army of the Democratic Republic of Congo, FARDC. After integration the group seemed to split up between different leaders and ethnic groups. Some of whom has remained in the military others who have formed new militias.
The main leader of the coalition was Colonel Sikuli Lafontaine an ethnic Nande. Other prominent leaders in the coalition were Colonel Mugabo (Hutu), Colonel Ntasibanga (Hunde), Colonel Blaise (Nyanga), and Colonel Kirikicho (Tembo) and chief Chomachoma (Havu).
PARECO has been involved in the non-state and one-sided categories of UCDP organised violence.
