DR Congo militias profit as M23 war spreads guns

Armed militias in southeastern DR Congo are profiting from insecurity linked to the war between government forces and the M23 armed group, including around mining sites in Tanganyika province.

In the village of Mwala, about 20 kilometres from Kalemie, around 100 heavily armed militiamen, many originally from South Kivu, have become the main force around an artisanal gold mine run by a Chinese company. Fighters there say they are paid between $100 and $150 a month to provide “security” for the mine.

The fighters call themselves “wazalendo”, or patriots in Swahili, a label used by local militiamen supporting government forces against M23. Some members said they had fought on the front, including around Minembwe, where clashes between government forces and M23 have been intense in recent months.

Mwala residents contacted by phone said the militiamen are best known locally for extorting money from villagers.

Weapons and fighters moved into Tanganyika after an M23 offensive against Uvira in South Kivu and the chaotic withdrawal of government forces. Tanganyika had only recently emerged from communal violence between Pygmy and Bantu communities that killed thousands between 2013 and 2019.

Tresor Ngabo, a representative of the national disarmament and reintegration programme in Tanganyika, warned that conflicts persist and that armed groups are now much better equipped. Several security and local sources said militias that once carried bows and arrows now have machine guns and even rocket launchers.

Militias have also sought money from companies. A local mining operator said the Bishambuke militia, to which the Mwala group is affiliated, demands about $1,500 a month from companies passing through its territory.

Local authorities and civil society representatives said security operations have brought a relative lull, but insecurity persists around Kalemie. Chirac Issa, a civil society representative, warned that the armed groups in the province were a “time bomb”.