MONTHLY REPORT: MARCH 2018

The dynamics of violence in the provinces of and have not shifted much since February. FARDC operations against armed groups continue to provide the broad framework for conflict dynamics, with hot spots in Fizi, Kalehe, and . In some territories (, Lubero, , , Shabunda) there has been a lull in violence for various, context-specific reasons, while two new forms of violence have appeared in territory: FARDC soldiers who kill civilians without provocation, and kidnappings motivated by sexual abuse. The following analysis draws on these general 56 killings (¯47% compared to February 2018) trends, highlighting the specificity of each area. 126 abductions and 20 kidnappings (­44%)

52 clashes between belligerants (¯33%) In , military operations against Ugandan rebels of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) continued, provoking counter-attacks by the ADF, as was the case on March 27 in the northeast of Beni town. The Mai-Mai attacked, as they had in February, a village on the Butembo-Beni road, targeting the presidential ranch in Kabasha. The police once again clamped down on civil liberties when members of Lucha demonstrated in Beni on March 26, 2018, despite a suspension of protests announced by the lay Catholics (CLC) and the lifting of the ban on demonstrations by the government on March 20, 2018.

Butembo town has seen a decrease in urban banditry since the naming at of new administrative officials and the replacement of the FARDC commander of town at the end of February. In town, in contrast, urban banditry has increased; a gang of bandits armed with machetes operated in the Majengo and Katoy neighborhoods after dark, attacking people with machetes and looting houses.

In violence decreased, as well, as the number of Mai-Mai combatants (from various groups) surrendering and regrouped in a temporary camp in Butembo town grew to over 120 by mid-March. However, authorities struggled to manage the camp, as several dozen combatants escaped while 80 others who had been taken to the Mubambiro training camp west of Goma, pending their future integration into the national army, complained about their living conditions.

Figure 1 Violent incidents in March 2018

In , a new incursion by Rwandan Defense Forces (RDF) soldiers onto Congolese soil led to a clash with the Nyatura Niyonzimana, killing one Rwandan soldier. On the north of the territory, on the Kiwanja- road, attacks on civilian convoys resumed on March 17, 2018 after a few months of respite, following a decrease in the number of Congolese army and park guards available to convoy civilian vehicles. Meanwhile, in the western part of the territory, the FARDC of the new 3416th regiment were guilty of frequently firing on civilians without provocation. This regiment is composed of young soldiers recently trained at , many of whom were delinquents before their recruitment. In the northeast part of the territory, there were several incidents of women being kidnapped and raped in their fields.

In territory, clashes intensified in the Kazinga–Luke area between the FARDC and Nyatura Delta, as well as in the Kalembe–Kashuga area between the Nduma Defense of Congo-Rénové and the Conseil National pour le Renouveau de la Démocratie (CNRD- Ubwiyunge). In this territory, as well as in neighboring Walikale, the alliances described in the dynamics of the past month remained intact.

The territory of Kalehe experienced a dual dynamic: in the northeast, following the FARDC withdrawal from Ziralo in December 2017 to redeploy to Salamabila, the Raia Mutomboki Raymond Kabishula (a group of civilians that had mobilized in opposition the Mai-Mai Kirikicho and who collaborated with the FARDC) took their place. This new armed group erected roadblocks throughout the area to arbitrarily arrest and extort food and beverages from traders. This abuse did not prevent the arrival in the area of around a thousand people displaced from the west of the territory (around ) on March 20th and 22nd as a result of FARDC operations in Bubamba and Kashesa against armed groups.

In Bukavu town, crime dropped thanks to Operation Tujikinge ("Let’s Protect Ourselves") launched by the governor in mid-February, consisting of a series of cordon-and-search operations. Some of the armed gangs responsible for the crime, however, retreated to the territories of Kabare and Walungu, where they are feared to start their activities again. This latter territory was already suffering from a rash of burglaries of health centers and schools, which continued in March. Some believe that these attacks are caused by the failed demobilization of the Mudundu 40 militia, which controlled large parts of Walungu between 2001 and 2004.

In the north of , calm returned following last month's military operations, as armed groups retreated into Kahuzi Biega Park and became inactive. In southern Shabunda, armed groups retreated to the border between South Kivu and Maniema while the FARDC regained control of the villages previously controlled by armed groups.

In Uvira territory, the attacks in the Ruzizi plain decreased significantly following the deployment of the 341st brigade, which in January and February had been sent to carry out operations along lake in against the Mai-Mai Yakutumba. This redeployment took place in anticipation of military operations in the highlands. On the other hand, insecurity increased in Uvira town: 17 houses were burglarized during the last week of the month. Several skirmishes took place between the armed gangs and the patrols of the Military Police (FARDC) and the mobile intervention group (Congolese National Police).

In Fizi territory, the focus of military operations have shifted since March 12 from the southeast coast toward the highlands in the southwest, around Minembwe and part of Lulenge sector. They caused the displacement of more than ten thousand inhabitants.

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