SUMMARY

The Zaire self-defense group, also known as FPAC, was active in one-sided violence in Ituri province in the north-eastern parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The region has a long history of intercommunal violence between the Hema and Lendu communities, which has repeatedly escalated into armed conflict over land, resources, and political influence. Major outbreaks occurred in 1972, 1985, and during the period 1999–2003. A renewed wave of violence began in 2017 in Djugu territory, where clashes between Hema- and Lendu-aligned armed groups intensified.

The province of Ituri is ethnically diverse and includes groups such as the Lendu, Hema (Hema-Gegere from the north and Hema-Nyoro from the south), Alur, Bira, Nyali, Mambisa, Ndo-Okebo, Lugbwara, Kakwa, Logo, Lese and Ngiti (also known as Lendu-Bindi). The region is also characterised by significant natural resource wealth, which has contributed to competition and armed mobilisation.

The Zaire self-defense group emerged in 2020 in response to a surge in attacks by Lendu militias, particularly URDPC. The group was perceived as a Hema-aligned self-defence force but also included members from several other communities in northern Ituri, including Alur, Nyali, Mambisa, and Ndo-Okebo.

The Zaire self-defense group primarily targeted Lendu civilians, who were perceived as supporters of URDPC or other Lendu militias. Civilians were often killed during retaliatory raids following attacks by opposing armed groups. Violence typically took the form of attacks on villages and rural settlements, where civilians were killed with machetes or firearms, and houses and local infrastructure were burned or looted. The violence was largely characterised by reprisal dynamics within a broader cycle of intercommunal conflict between Hema- and Lendu-aligned groups. Unlike conventional front-line combat, the violence frequently involved attacks on unarmed civilian populations.

The one-sided violence associated with the Zaire Self-Defense Group was primarily concentrated in the Irumu, Djugu and Mahagi territories of Ituri province.

The Zaire self-defense group first became active as an actor in one-sided violence in 2020 when the one-sided violence resulted in at least 25 civilian deaths. The threshold was reached in July that year when the Zaire self-defense group had attacked several villages in the Irumu territory.