SUMMARY
The conflict between RCD (Rassemblement Congolais pour la Démocratie, Congolese Rally for Democracy), commonly known as RCD-Goma, and Mayi Mayi militias should be seen as part of two conflict settings. Firstly as part of the second DR. Congo war fought during the time-period 1998-2003, where RCD-Goma has been one of the main rebel groups fighting the government and Mayi Mayi local defense groups supported by the government to fight the insurgency; secondly as part of the local struggle between foreigners and the autochthonous tribes, in the two provinces of North and South Kivu. RCD-Goma is seen as foreigners or as of Rwandan origin, or of Banyarwandan or Banyamulenge ethnicity, and Mayi Mayi is seen as the autochthonous tribes, nationalists of Banande, Bahunde, Banyanga, Batembo, Babembe.
Rwanda is central for the understanding of the conflict between RCD-Goma and Mayi Mayi. Rwanda and Banyamulenge (Congolese Tutsis) were important for President Kabila’s victory over ex-President Mobutu in 1997. However during the 1997-1998 interlude, when President Kabila tried to build a national power base, relations with Rwanda deteriorated. At the same time the situation in the Kivus was sliding into deeper and deeper ethnic tensions. As President Kabila moved away from his Rwandese allies, he almost automatically found himself in alliance both with the local autochthonous militias which were now springing up under the name of Mayi Mayi, as well as with the Hutu militia. By late 1998, after the second DR. Congo war had started, the Mayi Mayi progressively turned from a folkloric phenomenon into a major political one central in the fight against the foreign invader. RCD, meanwhile, claimed they were fighting in the Kivu regions to cleanse the area of negative forces including the Mayi Mayi militia.
Heavy fighting between RCD and Mayi Mayi broke out soon after the formation of the RCD rebel group. On 14 September 1998 fighting was reported over the town Goma between RCD and Mayi Mayi, at the time allied to the Rwandan Hutu militia. Clashes between the parties continued during the course of the intrastate armed conflict. Most Mayi Mayi militias supported the government in the intrastate conflict since they were fighting against Rwandans. In January 2001 President Kabila was killed. This led to negotiations between all actors in the intrastate conflict where the parties agreed to withdraw 15 km behind the positions occupied by their forces in May 2000. Consequently the government forces and RCD-Goma was separated by a buffer zone.
However, clashes between Mayi Mayi and RCD-Goma continued. In October 2002 Rwanda withdrew its forces from Congolese soil, thereby weakening RCD-Goma. RCD-Goma lost control of important parts of South Kivu to Mayi Mayi forces, including Uvira the second city of South Kivu Province. The control over Uvira was then battled in January 2003 and RCD-Goma forces subsequently retook the city. From February 2003 the RCD-Goma rebels engaged in a major offensive against the Mayi Mayi, an offensive that created massive waves of displacement, abuses against civilians and an upsurge in sexual violence. After the peace agreement formally ending the DR. Congo war in 2003 the former enemies were to be integrated into the new Congolese armed forces, FARDC. Soldiers integrated into FARDC belonging to different outfits have at times clashed, but since 2003 the RCD-Goma against Mayi Mayi non-state conflict has ceased to exist.
The non-state conflict between RCD and Mayi Mayi is first included in UCDP data in 1998. By September that year clashes between the two groups had resulted in at least 25 battle-related deaths.
