According to a former FDLR official, this belief was sustained through a combination of prophecies, rumours and teachings that circulated within the group for years.
He said the promises of an imminent victory encouraged some fighters to remain in the forests rather than abandon the armed struggle and return to civilian life.
The fighters were reportedly told that the time to “capture Rwanda” was approaching and that signs supporting the prophecy were already emerging. When the predicted victory failed to materialise, however, new explanations and further prophecies were reportedly used to maintain their morale.
Pastor Niyonzima Jean Damascène, who previously served in the FDLR’s intelligence structures and was also involved in delivering prophecies within the group before returning to Rwanda in 2023, told IGIHE that the practice developed partly as a way of encouraging fighters who lacked the resources and military strength needed to achieve their objectives.
He said former Rwandan government soldiers, commonly known as Ex-FAR, and Interahamwe fighters who remained in eastern DRC had reorganised with the intention of attacking Rwanda but lacked sufficient military equipment.
“The people who remained in the east reorganised themselves so that they could attack Rwanda, but because they did not have the equipment, telling them to attack Rwanda had little effect because they did not have the strength to do so,” he said.
A prophet brought in to boost fighters’ morale
Niyonzima said the group subsequently sought the help of a prominent prophet from Masisi Territory, Nyiraruvugo Taciana, whom he described as a respected figure among local communities.
“To give them strength, there was a prophet named Nyiraruvugo Taciana from Masisi. We called her. She was a well-known person who was respected by the local population, and people believed that she delivered messages from God,” he said.
According to Niyonzima, Nyiraruvugo was brought in because the fighters were more likely to believe the message if it came from someone they regarded as a genuine prophet.
He claimed that the group instructed her to tell the fighters that God had given them Rwanda and that they would succeed if they launched an attack.
“She came and said what we had told her to say. We told her that she had to tell the soldiers that God had given us the country, that we should attack and that we would win. We also told her to say that although we lacked equipment, we would find what we needed once we reached Rwanda, and that this would help us capture the country,” Niyonzima said.
New prophecies after fighters’ defeat
Niyonzima said the FDLR subsequently attacked Rwanda but was defeated.
The defeat, he said, created a challenge for the group’s leadership because fighters had been assured that they would emerge victorious and seize power.
“We were defeated and returned to Congo. We then prepared other prophets because we had established groups of people responsible for prayer,” he said.
According to Niyonzima, the group then sought to explain the failed prophecy by telling fighters that the defeat was not evidence that God had lied.
Instead, he said, the fighters were told that they had failed to fulfil certain obligations and had committed acts that were presented as the reason for their defeat.
“We told those prophets that they had to explain to the people that the defeat did not mean God had lied to them. Instead, it was because there were responsibilities we had been given that we had not fulfilled. Some had become drunk, others had committed adultery, some had stolen, and others had killed innocent people. That was presented as the reason we were defeated,” he said.
Niyonzima said fighters were subsequently told that the prophecy remained valid and that they needed to repent for the alleged wrongdoing before resuming their efforts to attack Rwanda and seize power.
The former FDLR member’s account illustrates how, according to his testimony, religious beliefs and prophecies were allegedly used to maintain morale within the group and encourage fighters to remain committed to its armed struggle despite setbacks and failed predictions.
Using prophecies to keep fighters committed to the armed struggle
Maj. (Rtd.) Makuza Anastase, who worked closely with FDLR president Lt. Gen. Victor Byiringiro for 19 years in communications before returning to Rwanda in 2020, said the prophecies used within the group had nothing to do with divine messages but were instead decisions made by its leadership.
“We attributed them to God, but in reality, they were decisions made during meetings of the leadership. If an attack on Rwanda was being planned, we needed to prepare the soldiers and refugee population so that they would understand the plan. The decisions made during those meetings would then be presented through prayer gatherings, where people would pray for an operation that was about to be carried out in Rwanda,” he said.
According to Makuza, the prophets would then deliver messages telling fighters that victory was certain.
“They would say, ‘I have seen us capturing Rwanda. I have seen the leaders preparing us to attack Rwanda. We will attack Rwanda and capture it.’ These were fabricated stories. We made them up to deceive people,” he said.
Makuza said FDLR leaders gave special treatment to those presented as prophets and elevated them within the group so that they would not leave and reveal that the prophecies were fabricated.
He said the group also benefited from the arrival in the Democratic Republic of Congo of people accused of involvement in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi who had fled Rwanda.
According to Makuza, such individuals could be presented to FDLR fighters and civilians as prophets rather than refugees.
“Let me put it this way: when someone who had committed genocide here and fled justice arrived, we considered that a gain for us. We did not call that person a refugee. We called them a prophet and introduced them to soldiers and civilians by saying, ‘A prophet has arrived,’” he said.
Makuza said those who had fled were instructed not to tell fighters that they were running from justice. Instead, they were expected to claim that they had voluntarily left Rwanda, abandoned everything they owned and joined the FDLR because they believed the time to capture Rwanda was approaching.
“We would take them around to visit soldiers at their positions and civilians, where they would give their testimony. They would then say, ‘God sent me to tell you to prepare yourselves.’ They had fled justice, but we did not want them to be seen as refugees,” he said.
‘Oracle du Seigneur’ attack
In 2001, FDLR fighters launched a major attack on Rwanda that they called ‘Oracle du Seigneur’, meaning “Oracle of the Lord.”
Makuza said the attack was based partly on prophecies used to convince fighters that they were going to capture Rwanda.
“That attack was called ‘Oracle du Seigneur.’ We had prepared prophets to tell the fighters that the time had come to attack Rwanda. We knew what we had planned and that we were going to fight, but those we were leading believed they were taking part in a plan ordained by God,” he said.
Makuza said many FDLR fighters were captured during the operation, while those who survived returned to the DRC.
He said the surviving fighters were then brought together for morale-building sessions accompanied by prayers. According to him, prophets told them that the attack had failed because the fighters had committed sins, including sexual misconduct.
Pastor Niyonzima Jean Damascène also recalled an occasion when he and other FDLR fighters were preparing to launch a major attack on Rwanda.
He said that when they reached the Virunga area, they stopped to pray, during which prophets allegedly claimed they had seen the Gisenyi-Ruhengeri road captured.
“There was a time when we reached the Virunga area and stopped to pray. The prophets said, ‘We can see that the Gisenyi-Ruhengeri road has been captured. We can see soldiers moving towards Kigali.’ I remained in the Virunga area, while the soldiers we had travelled with had come from Rutshuru. There were about 2,000 soldiers, but we returned with no more than 50. The others were either captured or killed,” he said.
Former members urge fighters to leave the FDLR
Makuza and Niyonzima both described the prophecies used within the FDLR as fabricated messages intended to influence fighters and maintain their morale.
They urged those who remain in the group, particularly young fighters, to stop relying on such messages and to reject what they described as manipulation by older members.
They called on FDLR members to abandon the armed group, return to Rwanda and rebuild their lives, following the example of former fighters who have already returned and begun new lives.
