At least 10 civilians were killed and 12 others injured in a series of coordinated attacks attributed to the FDLR (Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda) militia and their allied Wazalendo fighters in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, according to a statement from the AFC/M23 rebel coalition.
The attacks took place on Sunday, May 24, in the villages of Malemo and Kalembe, located between the territories of Masisi and Walikale in North Kivu Province—a region that has endured decades of armed conflict, ethnic violence, and mass displacement.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, May 25, AFC/M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka detailed the assault, calling it “a violent and premeditated attack.”
“A large column of FDLR elements, supported by Wazalendo militias, carried out the attack against unarmed civilians,” Kanyuka wrote.
According to the spokesperson, seven villagers were killed and three wounded in Malemo, while three others died and nine were injured in Kalembe. He added that the attackers abducted a local chief during the raid, and his whereabouts remain unknown as of Monday evening.
The FDLR: A Genocidal Legacy
The FDLR is a Rwandan Hutu rebel group founded by remnants of the Interahamwe militias and former Rwandan Armed Forces (FAR) soldiers who carried out the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. After the genocide was stopped by the Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPA), the perpetrators fled across the border into the dense forests of eastern DR Congo, where they have remained active for over three decades.
The militia has been repeatedly accused by the United Nations, human rights groups, and regional governments of spreading genocidal ideology, recruiting child soldiers, and carrying out mass atrocities against Congolese Tutsi communities, including the Banyamulenge. The FDLR currently fights alongside the Congolese government coalition (FARDC) against the M23 rebellion, a complex alliance that has drawn sharp criticism from Rwanda and international observers.
M23’s Stance and Regional Tensions
The AFC/M23 rebellion has long argued that its insurgency is not merely a territorial ambition but a defensive response to the Congolese government’s failure to protect Tutsi communities in eastern DRC from persecution and attacks by FDLR-linked armed groups.
Rwanda’s government has consistently accused the Congolese government and its armed forces of actively collaborating with the FDLR, a charge that Kinshasa denies. Kigali considers the FDLR a direct existential threat, citing past cross-border attacks that have killed Rwandan civilians and damaged infrastructure.
The Sunday attacks come at a particularly sensitive moment. Under the Washington peace accords signed between Rwanda and DR Congo in December of last year, Kinshasa formally committed to dismantling the FDLR network and preventing hostile actions against Rwanda from its territory. However, according to regional officials and independent monitors, little has changed on the ground.
Accusations of Broken Promises
Kanyuka did not hold back in his criticism of the Congolese government.
“The Kinshasa regime continues, despite its commitments, to support, arm, and coordinate the FDLR genocidal groups as well as the Wazalendo militias, thus contributing to persistent insecurity and violence targeting civilian populations,” he said.
His statement echoes long-standing frustrations voiced by both Rwandan officials and local Congolese Tutsi leaders, who argue that the international community has turned a blind eye to the FDLR’s ongoing activities while focusing narrowly on M23’s offensives.
Humanitarian Toll
The latest killings add to a grim tally. Eastern DR Congo is home to over 120 armed groups, many of which survive by exploiting the region’s vast mineral wealth and sowing ethnic hatred. The FDLR remains one of the most notorious among them, with a decades-long record of massacres, sexual violence, and forced displacement.
Local civil society leaders in Masisi and Walikale have called for an urgent investigation and for the Congolese army to separate itself from FDLR elements. “Civilians are being crushed between two wars,” one community activist, who requested anonymity for fear of reprisals, told local media. “The government cannot claim to protect us while arming the same militias that kill us.”
As of Monday evening, no official statement had been issued by the Congolese government or the FARDC regarding the attacks. The whereabouts of the abducted local chief remain unknown, and humanitarian workers fear further violence in the coming days.
