Intelligence reports indicated that as of June 2025, the FDLR comprised between 7,000 and 10,000 fighters. In November of that year, its military spokesperson, Lt Col Octavien Mutimura, admitted that the group had a large number of combatants capable of confronting any force attacking it.
When former M23 fighters resumed armed rebellion in late 2021, their objective was not only to fight the Congolese army (FARDC) but also to dislodge the FDLR from Congolese territory, as the terrorist group had continued to persecute Congolese Tutsis in various areas, looting their property, raping women, and killing some of them.
At the time, many FDLR fighters were based in areas of Virunga National Park, near Mount Nyiragongo. General Omega was stationed at a military camp known as “Paris” in Rutshuru Territory, which also served as the main headquarters of the terrorist group founded by individuals involved in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
Militarily, General Omega is assisted by Maj Gen Cyprien Uzabakiriho, known as “Ave Maria.” Military intelligence (G2) is headed by Brig Gen Sébastien Uwimbabazi, known as “Nyembo Abdallah,” who also coordinates FDLR fighters operating in Masisi and Walikale.
FDLR military operations (G3) are generally led by Brig Gen Lucien Nzabanita, while the elite unit known as CRAP is commanded by Col Pierre-Célestin Rurakabije, known as “Simba Guillaume.” On another level, Col Gustave Kubwayo, known as “Sirkoof,” is also mentioned as leading one of the group’s military sectors.
The FDLR’s command structure closely resembles that of the defeated former Rwandan Armed Forces (Ex-FAR), and many of its senior military officers are former members of that army. General Omega himself served as a lieutenant until the end of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, after which he fled to what was then Zaire (now the DRC).
In training sessions given to FDLR fighters, they are consistently told that Hutus should be the ones to rule Rwanda and that they must reclaim power through armed struggle. These sessions also instill hatred, ethnic division, and genocide ideology.
These trainings are conducted in camps led by Brig Gen Mutunzi Bernard, known as “Manzi,” according to investigations by Africa Intelligence. The camps are regularly visited by senior FDLR leaders.
Col Protogène Ruvugayimikore, who previously commanded CRAP before being killed by his own colleagues in December 2023, was one of the key figures responsible for indoctrinating new FDLR recruits. All these politically oriented activities are overseen by the group’s president, Lt Gen Gaston Iyamuremye, known as “Victor Byiringiro” or “Rumuri.”
How the FDLR started collaborating with Congolese forces
When the M23 rebellion resumed, the FDLR had already lost several senior leaders in both its military wing, such as Gen Sylvestre Mudacumura, and its political leadership, including Ignace Murwanashyaka, its then president. The group saw an opportunity to collaborate with the Congolese army, which had previously opposed it, and exploited this situation to its advantage.
The Congolese army had long shown interest in such cooperation, believing that the FDLR had experience in jungle and mountainous warfare and possessed deep knowledge of eastern DRC terrain due to more than 30 years of presence in the region.
In May 2022, a meeting was held in Pinga, Walikale Territory, bringing together armed groups and the Congolese army. It was initiated by Maj Gen Peter Cirimwami Nkuba, who was responsible for military operations in North Kivu.
That meeting, attended by FDLR representatives, led to a formal decision to cooperate, under the premise that they shared a common enemy: M23. The Congolese army promised these armed groups salaries and military supplies.
One of the notable examples of this cooperation was an attack carried out in Nturo village in Masisi Territory in October 2023. It involved FARDC special units known as “Hiboux,” led by Major Peter Kabwe, CRAP fighters under Lt Noheli Nyiringabo known as “Seigneur de Guerre,” as well as members of Congolese armed groups collectively known as Wazalendo.
In October 2023, Nturo village, inhabited mainly by Congolese Tutsis, was set ablaze. Survivor testimonies indicate that the attack was carried out by the FDLR and Wazalendo groups under the coordination of the Congolese army.
This cooperation did not prevent the defeat of the Congolese government coalition, as AFC/M23 continued to capture large areas in North Kivu, forcing government forces to retreat toward the southern areas near Goma city.
Some FDLR fighters reportedly operated from FARDC positions in Mubambiro, about 20 kilometers from Goma, where they prepared joint military operations with government forces and Wazalendo militias.
At the beginning of 2025, M23, by then operating under the AFC/M23 alliance, intensified attacks in Rutshuru, Masisi, and Nyiragongo territories. General Omega and his fighters fled, with some moving to Shingisha in Masisi and others to Walikale.
Intelligence reports indicate that FARDC continues to cooperate with the FDLR at a high level, with involvement extending even to the Kinshasa government, unlike in the past when coordination was mainly driven by North Kivu-based officers.
It is reported that Brig Gen Uwimbabazi (G2) and Brig Gen Nzabanita (G3) were tasked by General Omega to maintain constant communication with FARDC leadership regarding cooperation, including planning and execution of joint operations.
In March 2026, the Deputy Chief of Staff of the FARDC in charge of operations and intelligence, Maj Gen Jacques Nduru Ychaligonza, arrived in Kisangani in Tshopo Province, stating that his mission from Kinshasa was to launch operations aimed at dismantling the FDLR.
Reports indicate that during this time, Maj Gen Ychaligonza met General Omega, and they discussed plans for FDLR fighters to reposition into AFC/M23-controlled areas in Rutshuru, with the aim of allowing the DRC government to later claim to the international community that it lacked the capacity to dismantle the group, arguing that it was operating outside its control.
Maj Gen Ychaligonza arrived in Kisangani on March 29. Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Ambassador Olivier Nduhungirehe, stated last week that within just 48 hours, around 700 weapons were delivered to the FDLR.
As relations between Rwanda and the DRC deteriorated, President Félix Tshisekedi has repeatedly hosted Rwandan individuals in Kinshasa involved in plans to destabilise the Rwandan government, including Jean-Luc Habyarimana, son of former President Juvénal Habyarimana, as well as former Rwandan officials in exile.
Reports also indicate that Tshisekedi recently met former FDLR officials, including Faustin Murego, a former adviser to Murwanashyaka during his tenure as FDLR president, and Thaddée Kwitonda, who is wanted by Belgian justice over alleged involvement in the Genocide against the Tutsi.
