MONTHLY REPORT: JANUARY 2018

January 2018 was marked by heightened political turmoil as opposition parties, social movements and Catholic organizations continued protests challenging the government. Their demonstrations on January 21, 2018 produced substantial turnout––followed by repression––in and Goma, and to a lesser extent in Beni and Butembo.

Following attacks by armed groups on security 53 violent deaths (↑1% from December 2017) forces in Beni, Lubero, and Fizi territories 128 people abducted and 40 kidnapped (↑53%) over the last six months, the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) 63 clashes between belligerents (↓1%) launched new military operations, dubbed “Usalama II”, in Beni against the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), and "Kamatakamata" against armed groups in .

Finally, a large influx of Hutu migrants in Kalehe territory created tensions with local communities, similar to the movement of populations toward southern Ituri between 2014 and 2016.

Major trends

In Beni territory, the FARDC launched large-scale military operations on January 13, 2018 against the ADF and the other armed groups. These "Usalama II" operations prompted counterattacks by alleged ADF on FARDC positions in and around Beni town––for example, in Boikene, Oicha, Mayi Moya, Eringeti, and Parkingi. The deadliest of these counterattacks took place on January 19, 2018 in Parkingi, with at least 24 dead and 13 wounded among the FARDC, and the ADF–– and perhaps other, affiliated armed groups––appear to be attacking the FARDC on their flanks and their rear. Meanwhile, the joint operations between the Congolese and Ugandan armies, which were mooted in December, have not come about.

In Lubero territory, this new offensive led to intense fighting between the FARDC and a coalition of Mai-Mai Mazembe and the Union of Patriots for the Liberation of Congo (UPLC). The Mai-Mai responded with attacks against civilians, whom they suspected of having served as scouts for the FARDC.

In Rutshuru territory, some armed groups have become increasingly aggressive towards politicians, including some who supposedly exert influence over them. While there have been previous campaigns by the National Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Program (PNDDR), the government’s recent use of local powerbrokers has been badly perceived by some armed groups, especially when the campaigns have been accompanied by political propaganda in favor of the government. This provided the motivation for the attack by the Nyatura Domi against the convoy of the minister of small and medium-sized enterprises, Eugène Serufuli Ngayabaseka, and the burning of his residence in Butare, in his own electoral stronghold, on January 21, 2018.

In the territory of Kalehe, several dynamics have been fueling violence:

• Along the shores of , armed group activity had decreased following an awareness campaign conducted in November and December 2017 by local NGOs. However, Nyatura and Mai-Mai Kirikicho then returned in January to threaten those who had sensitized them and continued carrying out abuses. • In , the Raia Mutomboki Shukuru and Mungoro have moved eastwards, from Mubuku to Kalima and from Tchabunda to Kalima respectively. A new group, reported to be Raia Mutomboki Kalume, has settled in the villages of Katasomwa and Lumbishi on the high plateau, allowing them control local markets. • There has been a resurgence of communal tensions in the area of Nyabibwe-Mubuku- Ziralo, triggered by the arrival of hundreds of Hutu families in search of land. This dynamic is similar to that in the northern part of Beni territory, where the arrival of Hutu migrants raised suspicions during the massacres there between 2014 and 2016.

In , a new, unnamed coalition has been formed between the Raia Mutomboki Maheshe and Raia Mutomboki Ndarumanga. A representative of Raia Mutomboki Charlequin, based in Shabunda, also participated in the meeting that these two groups organized on January 18, 2018 in Kabogoza, Walungu territory. This coalition was reportedly created in order to join forces with the CNPSC.

In , the FARDC launched the "Kamatakamata" operations on January 19, 2018, the day after a rebel ambush on the convoy of General Philemon Yav, the commander of the new offensive. Violent clashes took place between the FARDC and Mai-Mai Yakutumba, intensifying after the CNPSC shelled Baraka on January 24, 2018. The military offensive resulted in a large influx of Congolese refugees into Burundi across Lake Tanganyika. Around the same time, an FARDC patrol clashed with a group of Burundian rebels FNL in , in the Ruzizi plain of Uvira.