The Role of FDLR in the DRC and Rwanda Tensions

Understanding the FDLR Militants and Their Role in the DRC-Rwanda Conflict

27th February 2025

If you've been following the ongoing crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), you’ve likely heard of the FDLR, especially in relation to Rwanda. FDLR, which stands for Forces Démocratiques de Libération du Rwanda (Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda), is a militant group accused by Rwanda of threatening its security and even plotting to overthrow the government in Kigali.

While the FDLR has been involved in the DRC conflict for years, its notoriety has recently surged due to the continued violence and unrest in eastern Congo, with the group playing a significant role. The group's activities have been highlighted in the strong words of Rwandan President Paul Kagame, who has accused the Kinshasa government of supporting the militants in an effort to destabilize Rwanda.

Who Are the FDLR?

The FDLR’s origins can be traced to the 1994 Rwandan genocide, during which nearly one million Rwandans, predominantly Tutsi, lost their lives. Among the perpetrators were Hutu extremists, including former soldiers from the defeated Rwandan army (ex-FAR) and militia members known as the Interahamwe. After Rwanda's Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), led by Paul Kagame, gained victory in the genocide aftermath, these perpetrators fled into neighboring Zaire (now the DRC), some joining with refugees while others went into hiding in the Congolese forests. There, they began launching insurgencies, committing atrocities against Congolese civilians, and attacking Rwanda.

In 2000, the FDLR was formally established, bringing together former Rwandan soldiers, Interahamwe militia, and other Hutu militant factions. Since then, it has been notorious for its violent acts, including the rape of women and children, as well as brutal killings across the DRC.

The FDLR has also conducted attacks within Rwanda’s borders, including in the Virunga National Park forests in 1998, where more than 10 people were killed in the town of Gisenyi, located at the Rwanda-DRC border. Further attacks occurred in Nyaruguru, Nyungwe, and Nyamagabe in 2018.

Many of its members are wanted by international courts for their role in the 1994 genocide. The United States has labeled the group as a terrorist organization due to the extreme violence and atrocities committed by its members.

FDLR: A Central Factor in the DRC-Rwanda Tensions

The FDLR has become a major point of contention between the DRC and Rwanda. Rwanda accuses the Kinshasa government of collaborating with the FDLR militants, even allegedly incorporating some into the Congolese army (FARDC), in a bid to destabilize Rwanda’s leadership. The DRC, however, denies these allegations.

Reports from the United Nations (UN), MONUSCO, and various human rights organizations have repeatedly condemned the FDLR for executing mass killings, plundering Congo's natural resources, raping women, and recruiting child soldiers.

Human Rights Watch has frequently criticized the group for its atrocities, especially those supported by the Congolese military. In a 2022 report, the organization revealed credible information that soldiers from the Congolese army’s 3411 unit provided more than 12 boxes of ammunition to FDLR militants in Kazaroho, a stronghold within Virunga National Park, on July 21st.

The FDLR has been responsible for the deaths of hundreds of civilians in eastern Congo, often resorting to gruesome methods like beheading, burning homes, or hacking victims with machetes. Sexual violence and other forms of brutality have also been rampant.

Locals in eastern Congo have expressed their frustration, accusing the Congolese army of complicity in allowing the FDLR’s reign of terror to continue. “At one point, [the FDLR] came and burned villages… over 200 houses,” said Eric Kambale, a local priest from Luofu parish. “People were burned inside. The Congolese army was just one kilometer away when this happened."

Kambale recalled the constant threat faced by his community until United Nations forces took control of the area in 2010.