Acidic Security

A meeting is underway in Goma between James Swan, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and head of MONUSCO, and Joseph Kabila, President of the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN). James Swan is accompanied by a delegation including Brigadier General Givenz Kishombe Sichali, Walter Lotze, advisor, as well as Marilyn Ngum Fru, cabinet director. On the FRN side, Joseph Kabila is assisted by Corneille Nangaa and Bertrand Bisimwa, both vice-presidents of the movement, as well as two officers, Colonel Imani Nzenze. Moïse Nyarugabo is also present. This meeting comes in a context where the FRN is becoming an unavoidable player in discussions on resolving the crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo. An important team of national and international journalists is also present on site to cover this meeting.

  Lieutenant General Obed Rwibasira Ruyumbu is one of the officers whose career is part of the military transformations that followed the conflicts of the 1990s and the early 2000s. He is notably identified as a former RCD-Goma brigadier general who was integrated into the structures of the Congolese army. 2003: BRIGADIER GENERAL On December 20, 2003, a presidential decree appointed him to the rank of brigadier general. On the same day, another decree designated him as the commander of the military region in Goma, North Kivu. 2004: COMMANDER OF THE 8TH MILITARY REGION In January 2004, he was appointed to the head of the military region in Goma, North Kivu, corresponding to the 8th military region. In December 2004, he was reassigned to a new command position with General Gabriel Amisi Kumba, who was then associated with the 5th military region in Kasaï-Oriental. During his career, Obed Rwibasira also held responsibilities in other military regions, including Kasaï and North Kivu....

  Born on May 28, 1957, in Nyankunde, in the current province of Ituri, Dieudonné Amuli Bahigwa is a career military officer who served under several political regimes in the Democratic Republic of Congo. 1979: DEPARTURE FROM THE MILITARY ACADEMY After completing his training at the military academy, he graduated in 1979 with the rank of lieutenant. He gradually held various responsibilities, including as a platoon leader and commander of a company. He also underwent commando training in Kotakoli, obtaining a parachuting certificate and attending a command and staff school in Israel. 1977: FIRST COMBAT EXPERIENCE According to Radio Okapi, he participated in the 80-day war in Katanga in 1977, holding the rank of major at the time of his graduation from the military academy in 1979; the details of his initial career would therefore need to be clarified by military archives. HIS RANKS The sources consulted indicate several stages: 1979: lieutenant, upon graduating from the military...

  Before being appointed to the 22nd Military Region in Lubumbashi, Major General Smith Gihanga Mutara had already held several military positions in the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Here are the main documented steps in his career. 1. HIS FIRST MILITARY RESPONSIBILITIES IN THE EAST During the period preceding his integration into the FARDC, Smith Gihanga was part of the former Congolese National Army (ANC), a military branch of the Congolese People's Republic (RCD). According to a research document on armed groups in the East of the DRC, he commanded the 81st brigade, a unit not part of the national army at the time. In 2006, he left this structure to join the military integration process. 2. HIS INTEGRATION AND OPERATIONS IN NORD-KIVU On December 4, 2006, Radio Okapi announced his appointment as commander of the 9th integrated brigade based in Rutshuru, in the 8th Military Region. He succeeded Colonel Mayanga wa Gishuba. At this time, the region was experiencing cl...

Among them, 58 voluntarily surrendered to the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) and Wazalendo groups, according to the communication officer of the 34th military region, Major Dieudonné Kasereka. He also reports that 20 others were captured during military operations. The military officer said on Monday, November 2, that these surrenders come in a context of continuing clashes between the rebels and the Congolese army. According to him, several fighters who have defected claim to have been forcibly recruited in Goma, Bukavu and other cities. These fighters say that some of them received only basic training before being deployed to the front. These conditions of recruitment and deployment would have pushed them to abandon the ranks of the movement to join the FARDC, according to the explanations of the communication officer of the 34th military region. The 58 fighters who surrendered are currently being taken care of, pending the decisions of the military hierarch...

The security situation remains tense in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where clashes between government forces and armed groups continue to threaten civilian populations. In both North_Kivu and South_Kivu, persistent violence is fueling population displacement and exacerbating the humanitarian_crisis. Ongoing fighting in Masisi and Walikale In the Masisi territory, clashes have been reportged in several localities, notably in Kazinga, within the Nyamaboko1er administrative group (*groupement*). According to reports from local media, the Armed Forces of the DRC (FARDC)—supported by *Wazalendo* groups—have reportedly retaken certain positions from AFCM23_FRN fighters. Nevertheless, the situation remains volatile across several areas of the territory. In Walikale, armed violence continues to disrupt the lives of the local population. Clashes and restrictions on movement along certain roads are hindering travel and access to essential services. In the Rutshuru territory, tension...