The FDLR counts among its number the original members of the
Interahamwe that led the 1994
Rwandan genocide. It received extensive backing from, and cooperation from, the government of Congolese President
Laurent-Désiré Kabila, who used the FDLR as a
proxy force against the foreign Rwandan armies operating in the country, in particular the
Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPF military wing) and Rwanda-backed
Rally for Congolese Democracy. In July 2002, FDLR units still in Kinshasa-held territory moved into
North and
South Kivu. At this time it was thought to have between 15,000 and 20,000 members. Even after the official end of the Second Congo War in 2002, FDLR units continued to attack Tutsi forces both in eastern DRC and across the border into Rwanda, vastly increasing tensions in the region and raising the possibility of another Rwandan offensive into the DRC – what would be their third since 1996. In mid-2004, a number of attacks forced 25,000 Congolese to
flee their homes. Following several days of talks with Congolese government representatives, the FDLR announced on 31 March 2005 that they were abandoning their armed struggle and returning to Rwanda as a
political party. The talks held in
Rome,
Italy were mediated by
Sant'Egidio. The Rwandan government stated that any returning genocidaires would face justice, most probably through the
gacaca court system. It was stated that if all of the FDLR commanders, who are believed to control about 10,000 militants, disarmed and returned, a key source of cross-border tensions would be removed. On October 4, 2005, the
United Nations Security Council issued a statement demanding the FDLR disarm and leave the
Democratic Republic of the Congo immediately. Under an agreement reached in August, the rebels had pledged to leave Congo by September 30. In August 2007, the
Congolese military announced that it was ending a seven-month offensive against the FDLR, prompting a sharp rebuke by the government of Rwanda. Prior to this, Gen.
Laurent Nkunda had split from the government, taking
Banyamulenge (ethnic Tutsis in the DRC) soldiers from the former
Rally for Congolese Democracy and assaulting FDLR positions, displacing a further 160,000 people. In October 2007 the
International Crisis Group said that the group's military forces had dropped from an estimated 15,000 in 2001 to 6–7,000 then, organised into four battalions and a reserve brigade in
North Kivu and four battalions in
South Kivu. It named the political and military headquarters as Kibua and Kalonge respectively, both in the jungle covered
Walikale region of
North Kivu. It also said that 'about the same number' of Rwandan citizens, family members of combatants, and unrelated refugees remained behind FDLR lines in separate communities. In December 2008 DR Congo and Rwanda agreed to attempt to disband the FDLR, though they will have to destroy the organisation by force or otherwise shut it down. On January 20, 2009, the Rwandan Army, in concert with the Congolese government,
entered the DR Congo to hunt down lingering FDLR fighters.
Later developments On 9 and 10 May 2009, FDLR rebels were blamed for attacks on the villages of
Ekingi (
South Kivu) and
Busurungi (
Walikale territory, southern boundary of
North Kivu). More than 90 people were killed at Ekingi, including 60 civilians and 30 government troops, and "dozens more" were said to be killed at Busurungi. The Group further commented that "The attack at Busurungi on 10 May 2009 was conducted in clear violation of international human rights law and international humanitarian law. The systematic nature of attacks by the FDLR against the civilian population at Busurungi suggests that they could qualify as crimes against humanity. The attack on Busurungi was perpetrated by the elements of the FDLR battalion "Zodiac" under the command of Lt Col Nzegiyumva of the FDLR Reserve Brigade, in turn under the command of Col Kalume. Reportedly, the attacks were also perpetrated by the Special Company under the command of Capt Mugisha Vainquer. Some information received by the Group indicated that the operation was supported by an FDLR commando unit." The FDLR had attacked several other villages in the preceding weeks and clashes occurred between FDLR forces and the Congolese Army, during which government forces are reported to have lost men killed and wounded. The most recent attacks have forced a significant number of people from their homes in Busurungi to
Hombo, north. The UN peacekeeping mission
MONUC has been accused of sharing intelligence with the FDLR. However, these accusations are unreliable at best as they were made by the New Times, a media outlet under Rwanda state control. The government of Rwanda has been hostile towards MONUC and during its proxy war with the Congo, its military forces even attacked peacekeepers while part of the CNDP. On August 24, 2010, the United Nations confirmed that rebels from the FDLR and from the
Mai Mai militia raped and assaulted at least 154 civilians from July 30 to August 3, in the town of
Luvungi in North Kivu province.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who had made protecting civilians and combating sexual violence central themes of his presidency, was reported to be outraged by the attack. Atul Khare, deputy head of the U.N.'s peacekeeping department, was dispatched to the region, and
Margot Wallström, the organisation's special representative for sexual violence in conflict, was instructed to take charge of the U.N. response and follow up. The United Nations had withdrawn 1,700 peace keepers in recent months, responding to the Congolese government's demand to end the UN peacekeeping mission (recently renamed MONUSCO). Earlier Wallstrom was quoted as saying that this withdrawal would make the struggle against sexual violence in the region significantly more difficult.
Arrests FDLR chairman
Ignace Murwanashyaka was arrested in Mannheim, Germany, in April 2006, but released shortly thereafter. However, in November 2009, after pressure applied by the United Nations, the German
Bundeskriminalamt captured Murwanashyaka, the 46-year-old chairman of the FDLR, again, along with his 48-year-old deputy,
Straton Musoni, in
Karlsruhe. This was considered a severe blow to the FDLR organization. The trial for Murwanashyaka and Musoni began on May 4, 2011, before the in
Stuttgart. They are accused of several counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity according to the German
Völkerstrafgesetzbuch. Their trial is the first to be held in Germany for crimes against this law. In October 2010, the Executive Secretary,
Callixte Mbarushimana, was arrested in France under a sealed warrant from the
International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity and war crimes allegedly committed in the Kivus (
Democratic Republic of the Congo). The warrant concerns widespread attacks allegedly committed by FDLR troops against civilians in North and South
Kivu in 2009. The Court's judges state that there are reasonable grounds to believe that Mbarushimana bears criminal responsibility for these attacks, including murder, torture, rape, persecution and inhumane acts. The warrant alleges that Mbarushimana was part of a plan to create a humanitarian catastrophe to extract concessions of political power for the FDLR. On 13 July 2012, the ICC announced an arrest mandate against the FDLR chief
Sylvestre Mudacumura for war crimes committed in the Kivus as well as against
Bosco Ntaganda. On 7 November 2019, Trial Chamber VI of International Criminal Court (ICC) sentenced Bosco Ntaganda to a total of 30 years of imprisonment. In April 2020, the FDLR was accused of attacking a civilian convoy in the
Virunga National Park, killing a dozen park rangers, while in February 2021, it was accused of killing the Italian ambassador to DRC,
Luca Attanasio, his bodyguard and his driver. On 1 March, 2025, FDLR intelligence chief Ezechiel Gakwerere, who was previously captured in the M23 offensive, was handed over to the Rwandan government. The leader of the FDLR's military wing, Pacifique Ntawungukav, was reportedly killed in the January fighting, but this could not be confirmed.
Alleged support from the DRC In October 2022, findings from reports by
Human Rights Watch revealed that the Congolese military provided support to the FDLR in their engagement against the
M23 rebel group. == See also ==