SUMMARY

The non-state conflict between the Forces des Patriotes pour la Paix - Armée du Peuple (FPP-AP) led by Kabido and the temporary coalition of Mayi Mayi Mazembe and the Nduma défense du Congo-Rénové (NDC-R) originated from internal divisions among Congolese armed groups operating in Walikale and Lubero territories in North Kivu. Both Kabido and Kitete, the respective commanders of FPP-AP and Mayi Mayi Mazembe, had initially collaborated in the formation of the original Mayi Mayi Mazembe, a local self-defense force established to combat the presence of the FDLR (Forces Démocratiques de Libération du Rwanda). Both commanders had been opposed arrival of NDC-R in Lubero. When Kitete changed his position and allied his Mayi Mayi Mazembe with the NDC-R in October 2019 relationship with FPP-AP changed. Kabido denounced the alliance as a betrayal of nationalist resistance. Kabidon suspected the NDC-R of collaborating with the Rwandan government.

Kabido's FPP-AP framed its offensive as a struggle against “foreign-backed occupation,” implicitly targeting NDC-R and its allies as pro-Rwandan forces. This narrative allowed FPP-AP to legitimize its attacks on former allies, positioning itself as a defender of Congolese autonomy in the face of external interference.

The conflict quickly escalated and the conflict was characterized by repeated armed clashes, village raids, and territorial conquests. Fighting first erupted in April 2020 in Ikobo groupement, Walikale territory, where FPP-AP launched coordinated assaults on Mazembe-NDC-R positions in villages like Kateku and Misinga. The violence soon spread to Lubero territory in June 2020, where the FPP-AP targeted villages such as Mbughavinywa, Masika, and Kinyatsi, dislodging Mayi Mayi Mazembe, NDC-R coalition forces. Throughout the year, control of territory oscillated as both sides launched retaliatory offensives. The Mayi Mayi Mazembe, NDC-R coalition regrouped and counterattacked, recapturing several villages in Lubero and Walikale, including Chambuli, Kimaka, Pitakongo, Miriki, and Rusamamambu. These engagements caused casualties on both sides.

The conflict remained localized within Walikale and Lubero territories in eastern DR Congo.

The non-state conflict between FPP-AP and the Mayi Mayi Mazembe, NDC-R coalition was first included in the UCDP dataset in 2020. In June 2020, clashes between the factions Walikale and Lubero territories led to more than 25 fatalities.