SUMMARY

Although most Mayi Mayi militias were formed for the protection of the civilian population the groups themselves have attacked civilians. Often the groups were formed to protect a certain community and therefore civilians belonging to an enemy community were legitimate targets. In Sud Kivu the Banyamulenge civilians were often affected. Mayi Mayi burned down Banyamulenge villages with civilians trapped in the fire.

Mayi Mayi first became active as a one-sided actor in UCDP data in 1999, when the one-sided violence resulted in at least 25 civilian deaths. In March that year, Mayi Mayi militias conducted raids in the Fizi territory, Sud Kivu province of DR Congo (Zaire), killing over a hundred people.