MARKED DROP IN THE NUMBER OF CIVILIANS KILLED

MONTHLY REPORT N°29 - MARCH 2020

There was a marked drop in the number of civilians killed by armed actors in the month of March. The Kivu Security Tracker (KST) recorded 47 such deaths, compared with 156 the previous month. There was a significant fall in Masisi and territories, both of which had the deadliest toll in February. This means that became the deadliest territory in March. The reasons for such a decrease are difficult to identify. The new coronavirus epidemic might be one. However, its measurable impact on the Kivus only occurred at the end of March. Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda closed their borders to travelers between 15 - 23 ​ March, causing high inflation. Also, the first two confirmed cases of Covid-19, in Bukavu, ​ were only announced on March 29. The most likely explanation is to be found by looking at the local context of each conflict zone. This is because although fewer civilians were killed, the fighting continued unabated. The number of clashes between armed actors remained at levels similar to last month (48 compared with 51). These included clashes between the Islamist Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) and the Congolese army (FARDC) in . In the Petit Nord (Walikale, Masisi and Rutshuru territories), the Nduma Defence of Congo-Rénové (NDC-R), the most powerful of the armed groups present in the Kivus, appears to have grown stronger after having purchased arms. In the highlands of Fizi, Mwenga and Uvira, in South Kivu, violence between community militias continued and the various mediation attempts did not manage to restore peace. Also, 170 abductions were recorded during March - the highest number recorded since July 2017 and over three times the number for February.

Number of abductions recorded by the KST by month since June 2017

The NDC-R who were responsible for three of these abductions involving 17 victims contributed to this number. However, most of this record number is due to the abduction of 103 teenagers in by the Mai-Mai Charles, under the command of “Je t’aime” (sometimes spelled as Jeteme) in order to boost his combatant numbers with a view to surrendering, which finally took place on March 26 (in French). ​ ​ Furthermore, several NGO and International Organization sources have told KST that on March 1 the World Health Organization (WHO) stopped financing the Congolese security forces (army, police and intelligence services) in Beni and in the framework of the response to the Ebola epidemic. the possible effects of this decision on conflict dynamics. In the short term, however, this halt in funding does not seem to have caused a dramatic uptick in violence.

Beni: Respite for Civilians, Violent Fighting for the Military Beni territory recorded six civilian deaths in March, which is an exceptionally low number for this territory. Since the start of KST records, only the month of July 2017 saw a lower number (two deaths). This is all the more remarkable given the fact that this lull comes after four particularly deadly months in terms of civilian deaths, due to massacres committed by the ADF.

Number of civilian deaths recorded by the KST in Beni territory by month since June 2017

This finding appears to be the result of the new strategy, already reported in Monthly ​ Report n°28, which had redeployed some of its troops in the areas affected by the ​ massacres attributed to the ADF. In Kisiki, in the north-west of Beni territory (an area where the FARDC were virtually non-existent until February), 38 ADF-held hostages were freed following fighting between the FARDC and the ADF. The Congolese army has also forged alliances with local armed groups such as the Mai-Mai Uhuru and the Union des patriotes pour la libération du Congo (UPLC). According to several ​ sources from within these groups, their combatants are reported to have undergone accelerated military training with the aim of joining the ranks of the FARDC, particularly in a center located in Kalunguta. However, the fall in the number of civilian deaths does not mean that fighting against the ADF is over. Seven clashes were recorded in Beni in March, which is nearly as many as in February (eight). These primarily consisted of fighting between the FARDC and the ADF. The FARDC head of the operation, General Jacques Ichaligonza, stated to the media on ​ March 24 that 62 members of the ADF and 14 of the FARDC had been killed over four days close to the Semuliki river and to the place known as “All space” (in French). However, diplomatic sources have challenged the credibility of such death tolls communicated by the FARDC. In all cases, the KST has only been able to verify the deaths of 23 FARDC soldiers, the abduction of a further eight Congolese soldiers and the capture of one member of the ADF in March.

Butembo: The Véranda Mutsanga at the Forefront of Protests The destruction of several homes in the town of following a court ruling on March 6 caused a wave of protests and violence. The demolition ruling was issued by the Court of Appeal of , which decides on land-related disputes. However, the “Véranda Mutsanga” a local militant movement, mobilized its supporters and members of the local community to rebuild them. This was repressed by the police with the help of the army and, on March 17, a student was killed by a member of the army. This led to Véranda Mutsanga protests which later joined demonstration which in turn was also repressed, causing one ​ death. ​

Two “ghost town” days and a new demonstration were organized by “vérandists” on March 26 to call for local authorities to step down. Thirty-five people were arrested.

Lubero: Have New Unidentified Groups Appeared? territory saw a slight increase in violence in March, with 11 incidents and four deaths, compared with nine incidents and one death the previous month. What is striking is that a large majority of such incidents (eight out of nine) were committed by unidentified armed men. Is this proof of the emergence of new armed groups? The question is all the more important because these incidents took place in areas not previously affected by the presence of militias. They also occurred in areas (in the region of Bapere and the Baswagha chiefdom) which were not previously known for harboring armed groups. This could amount to evidence of new armed groups operating in this territory.

Goma, Masisi, Rutshuru, Walikale: The NDC-R Reorganizes Itself, the Mai-Mai Charles Behind the Abductions In February, the NDC-R, a group present in Walikale, Masisi, Rutshuru and Lubero territories, ​ suffered a series of attacks by rival groups. The clashes with the People’s Alliance for a Free and Sovereign Congo (APCLS) and its allies were particularly significant in , which caused an exceptionally large number of civilian deaths. Also, the NDC-R was obliged to make a tactical withdrawal from some of its positions in Rutshuru territory. But the NDC-R appears to have regained control in March. According to a direct witness and a MONUSCO source, the number three of the group, “Colonel” Mapenzi Lwanche Likuhe, travelled on several occasions to Goma where he is reported to have successfully purchased arms and ammunition from FARDC officers. On the ground, clashes between the NDC-R and its main local rival, the APCLS, remain ongoing in Masisi territory with five such incidents recorded. Although the NDC-R has been forced to retreat, such as in the village of Mumo on March 14, it has maintained its supremacy in this territory. In the west of Rutshuru, NDC-R combatants retook their positions which had been temporarily abandoned in February after having received reinforcements. They clashed on several occasions with the Nyatura Domi in Rutshuru. They were also implicated in the abduction of people in Kiyeye on March 19 and the rape of five women in Buchanatak on ​ March 4. ​

The record number of abductions logged in March however is above all due to the action of another armed group present in Rutshuru, the Mai-Mai Charles, led by “Je t’aime” The KST recorded the abduction of 103 teenagers over the course of a few days in the villages of ​ Nyamilima, Burambo and Kisharo around mid-March. ​

It appears that a vast majority of these were recruited to boost the troop numbers of the Mai-Mai Charles prior to their surrender. “Je t’aime” finally surrendered on March 26 along with 212 people. Therefore, close to half of his declared troops seem in fact to have been recently abducted teenagers. Most of these were demobilized and were able to rejoin their families. Others were sent to quarters at Mubambiro base, in the territory of Masisi.

Kalehe: Former CNRD Officers Ally Themselves with the Raia Mutomboki Despite the joint offensive by the FARDC and the Rwandan army having decimated the Conseil national pour la renaissance et la démocratie (CNRD), between November and ​ January last, some officers of this Rwandan Hutu uprising remain in Kalehe territory. According to several civil society and local authority sources, they are reported to have allied themselves with certain Raia Mutomboki groups, including the Hamakombo and Gaston, in Kalima groupement. According to a source from within these armed groups, “General” Jean-Pierre Gaseni is reported to have taken refuge in their base. His death had however been announced by Rwandan authorities last December. ​ ​

Shabunda: Ngandu Surrenders March was a relatively calm month in Shabunda territory with only two recorded incidents. This month also saw the surrender of Ngandu, a leader of the Raia Mutomboki, on March 9, along with 57 of his men. For a long time, he had operated with Donat, another leader of the Raia Mutomboki present in Shabunda, before going separate ways in May 2018. Since then, Ngandu’s group have been implicated in eight incidents, including six in Shabunda territory. They were taken to the Nyamunyuni military base, close to Bukavu.

Fizi, Mwenga, Uvira: An Elusive Peace The number of civilians killed fell sharply in Fizi, Mwenga and Uvira territories, with six people killed, compared with 21 the previous month. However, the cycle of violence which started in 2019 between armed groups from the Banyamulenge (Gumino and Twiganeho) community and the Mai-Mai groups from other communities in the highlands (mostly Banyindu, Babembe and Bafuliru), remains ongoing. The KST recorded 22 incidents in March in the three territories, mostly in the highlands and the Ruzizi Plain. This represents a small decrease compared with February (30 incidents). Several attempts at dialogue were however organized to try and reconcile their positions. The Babembe Intra-community Dialogue, held in Uvira on March 2-4, concluded with a statement refuting the existence of the Banyamulenge community (labeled as “Banyarwanda, so called Banyamulenge” or “Rwandan, so-called Banyamulenge”) and called for the removal of the rural town of Minembwe as well as a ban on transhumance. Also, the “Synergie des sages d’Uvira pour la paix” a local civil society “council of the wise” organized a dialogue conference during which belligerents agreed to cease hostilities and to meet again for further negotiations under the auspices of the Joint Follow up Mechanism of the Addis Ababa Agreement – a Congolese government institution – funded by the NGO Interpeace. This was held on March 12 and 13. However fighting continued and the Mai-Mai Yakutumba, one of the main actors of the conflict, walked out.

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The Kivu Security Tracker (KST) is a joint project of the Congo Research Group, based at New York University’s Center on International Cooperation, and Human Rights Watch. Human Rights Watch provides training and other support to KST researchers but does not independently verify all incidents reported on the KST and does not necessarily support all the views expressed by the KST.