The Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) is at the heart of two decades of war and instability in Joseph Kabila’s Democratic Republic of Congo, in which millions of people have died from violence, hunger and disease. Founded by members of the Interahamwe Hutu militia that organised the slaughter of 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus in Rwanda in 1994, the FDLR’s ranks have dwindled over the last decade to less than 2,000 rag-tag fighters.
But its presence in eastern Congo remains an irritant to Rwanda’s Tutsi leadership, which has held power since the genocide and has prompted years of meddling by Kigali in its larger neighbour, fuelling instability and bloodshed.
Experts say removing the FDLR is essential for peace in the Great Lakes region.
However, the Congo Army, backed by artillery from the UN brigade, the army in February started pounding positions held by the FDLR.
