SUMMARY

The conflict between FDLR and Raia Mutomboki was part of a local struggle between foreigners and the autochthonous tribes, in the two provinces of North and South Kivu. FDLR was seen as foreigners of Rwandan Hutu origin, and Raia Mutomboki was seen as the autochthonous tribes, nationalists of mainly Rega but also Tembo ethnicity. The conflict started in 2005 as the Rega set up a group for self-defense after having their village attacked by FDLR. In the first years the groups rarely clashed and the turning point came when FDLR was uprooted by the 2009-2012 joint operations by Rwanda, DR. Congo and MONUSCO targeting the group.

Thousands of FDLR subjects and other civilians were displaced by the violence caused by the operations. The governments also employed local militias for intelligence and local know-how. When FDLR in January 2010 attacked civilians in Nduma in the Shabunda territory of the North Kivu Province the conflict again escalated. This area had been left by the government army who had gone into the barracks for regimentation and the governor’s response to the massacre was “Liberate Yourselves”. This sparked a new local mobilization against FDLR and Raia Mutomboki grew in numbers. Raia Mutomboki clashed with the group but most of the violence targeted civilians related to the other group. Raia Mutomboki proved successful in pushing FDLR from its previous strongholds. Therefore the phenomenon spread in more areas of the Kivu provinces and the conflict escalated further.

The non-state conflict between FDLR and Raia Mutomboki was first included in UCDP data in 2012. In March of that year attacks by both groups in the Kalehe territory near Ekingi, resulted in over 25 battle-related deaths.