DRC: NDC-Rénové received "support from several armies in the region" (GEC)

Text by: Sonia Rolley Follow

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the country's largest armed group is called the NDC-Rénové. It is led by Guidon Shimiray, a war chief under United Nations sanctions. According to the study group on the Congo, a research center at New York University, this group has received continuous support from the Congolese army. "For the army, with the army, like the army" is the title of this explosive report. RFI asked Jason Stearns, director of the GEC, what made this group successful.

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Jason Stearns: The first factor, and probably the most important, is his ability to form alliances. It is an armed group which manages to enlarge its sphere of influence thanks to the support of several armies in the region, mainly the Congolese army, but also, more recently, an alliance of the Rwandan army. The two were looking for allies on the ground to do their work or help them do their work against the FDLR (note: Rwandan Hutu rebels) but also other local armed groups.

Secondly, I think, is the fact that they are not limited to a single ethnic group, unlike many armed groups in eastern Congo. At first, the NDC-R was a group mainly from the Nyanga community, but today there are several ethnic groups in their command, which also facilitated their expansion.

Third, it is Guidon's leadership and ability to take advantage of local resources and set up a fairly organized and structured taxation system.

RFI: One has the impression that the NDC-R has the same scope as groups like the CNDP or the FDLR, that is to say the last great rebellions of the Congo and in particular by its capacity to control the territory?

The NDC-Rénové controls a vast territory. If we were traveling on foot, it would take more than a week to go from one end of this territory to the other. He controls part of the four in six territories of North Kivu. We have to go back to the RCD rebellion which ended in 2003 to find an armed group that controlled as many territories, spaces. Even if the territories they control for the most part are very sparsely populated and quite remote.

What does your report reveal about the way the Congolese army manages security in eastern Congo?

Since the creation of the national army and the reunification of the country in 2003, it should be noted that the Congolese army has often preferred to work through militiamen or local militias, for several reasons. This prosecutor's war is cheaper. That is to say, they should not be paid as much as the national army, they should not be supplied as much as the national army. These militiamen are often more effective than the national army because they operate at home, they know the terrain, they have relationships with local communities. There are also personal benefits for officers of the Congolese army. It allows them to create patronage networks, that is to say it allows the personal enrichment of certain officers. Because these militias often operate in areas where there are resources and part of the taxes, of the products they receive, are passed on to these officers of the national army.

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On the same subject

DRC: GEC highlights the power of the armed group of Guidon Shimiray