The Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the state organisation responsible for defending the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The FARDC was rebuilt patchily as part of the peace process which followed the end of the Second Congo War in July 2003.
The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo or MONUSCO, an acronym based on its French name Mission de l'Organisation des Nations Unies pour la stabilisation en République démocratique du Congo, is a United Nations peacekeeping force in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) which was established by the United Nations Security Council in resolutions 1279 (1999) and 1291 (2000) to monitor the peace process of the Second Congo War, though much of its focus subsequently turned to the Ituri conflict, the Kivu conflict and the Dongo conflict. The mission was known as the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo or MONUC, an acronym of its French name Mission de l'Organisation des Nations Unies en République démocratique du Congo, until 2010.
The Rwanda Defence Force is the military of the Republic of Rwanda. The country's armed forces were originally known as the Rwandan Armed Forces (FAR), but following the Rwandan Civil War of 1990–1994 and the Rwandan genocide of 1994 against the Tutsi, the victorious Rwandan Patriotic Front (Inkotanyi) created a new organization and named it the Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPA). Later, it was renamed to its current name.
The Ituri conflict is an ongoing conflict between the agriculturalist Lendu and pastoralist Hema ethnic groups in the Ituri region of the north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). While the two groups had fought since as early as 1972, the name 'Ituri conflict' refers to the period of intense violence between 1999 and 2003. Armed conflict continues to the present day.
The South African Army Infantry Formation supervises all infantry within the South African Army.
The Kivu conflict is an umbrella term for a series of protracted armed conflicts in the North Kivu and South Kivu provinces in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo which have occurred since the end of the Second Congo War. Including neighboring Ituri province, there are more than 120 different armed groups active in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Currently, some of the most active rebel groups include the Allied Democratic Forces, the Cooperative for the Development of the Congo, the March 23 Movement, and many local Mai Mai militias. In addition to rebel groups and the governmental FARDC troops, a number of national and international organizations have intervened militarily in the conflict, including the United Nations force known as MONUSCO, and an East African Community regional force.
The M23 rebellion was an armed conflict in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), that occurred between the March 23 Movement and government forces between 4 April 2012 and 7 November 2013. It ended when a peace agreement was made among eleven African nations, and the M23 troops surrendered in Uganda. The rebellion was part of continued fighting in the region after the formal end of the Second Congo War in 2003. The conflict reignited in late 2020 after rebel "general" Sultani Makenga and 100 rebel fighters attacked the border town of Bunagana but failed. A few months later, with a much larger force, the rebels of the M23 movement renewed their attack and captured Bunagana.
The March 23 Movement, often abbreviated as M23 and also known as the Congolese Revolutionary Army, is a rebel military group that is for the most part formed of ethnic Tutsi. Based in eastern areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), it operates mainly in the province of North Kivu. The M23 rebellion of 2012 to 2013 against the DRC government led to the displacement of large numbers of people. On 20 November 2012, M23 took control of Goma, a provincial capital with a population of a million people, but it was requested to evacuate it by the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region because the DRC government had finally agreed to negotiate. In late 2012, Congolese troops, along with UN troops, retook control of Goma, and M23 announced a ceasefire and said that it wanted to resume peace talks.
Colonel Sultani Makenga is the military chief of the March 23 Movement, a rebel military group based in eastern areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Makenga is an ethnic Tutsi and was raised in South Kivu. He fought for the Rwandan Patriotic Front during the Rwandan Civil War.
Bertrand Bisimwa is a Congolese rebel and human rights activist. He is the president of the March 23 Movement, often abbreviated M23 and also known as the Congolese Revolutionary Army, a rebel military group based in eastern areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Bisimwa is trained as a lawyer.
The United Nations Force Intervention Brigade (FIB) is a military formation which constitutes part of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). It was authorized by the United Nations Security Council on 28 March 2013 through Resolution 2098. Although it is not the first instance in which the use of force was authorized by the UN, the Force Intervention Brigade is the first UN peacekeeping operation specifically tasked to carry out targeted offensive operations to "neutralize and disarm" groups considered a threat to state authority and civilian security. In this case, the main target was the M23 militia group, as well as other Congolese and foreign rebel groups. While such operations do not require the support of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC), the Force Intervention Brigade often acts in unison with the FARDC to disarm rebel groups.
The Land Forces, also called the Congolese Army, are the land warfare component and the largest branch of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC).
5 South African Infantry Battalion is a motorised infantry unit of the South African Army.
Lieutenant General Channira Bansi Ponnappa, PVSM,AVSM, VSM is a serving General Officer in the Indian Army. Currently, he is Adjutant General of the Indian Army. He has earlier served as the commander of the XI Corps. He also serves as the Colonel of the Mahar Regiment. As a UN peacekeeper, he is known for his role as commander of the United Nations' MONUSCO forces in the North Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo during the M23 rebellion.
The Umkhonto Field Engineer Regiment is a regiment of the South African Army Engineer Formation. The unit is based in Durban with the HQ being at Old Fort Military Base, Lord's Grounds. As a reserve unit, it has a status roughly equivalent to that of a British Army Reserve or United States Army National Guard unit.
The King Shaka Regiment is a reserve motorised infantry battalion of the South African Army.
Major General Jean-Lucien Bahuma Ambamba (1957–2014) was a Congolese army officer. Bahuma, described as an "exceptional soldier" by Le Potentiel and one of the Congo's "most popular and reform-minded officers" by The Economist, commanded the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) in the provinces of North and South Kivu during the M23 rebellion and Allied Democratic Forces insurgency.
Lieutenant General James Aloizi Mwakibolwa is a Tanzanian military officer. He served as chief of staff of the Tanzania People's Defence Force (TPDF) between 2017 and 2018 and previously commanded the Force Intervention Brigade (FIB) of the United Nations' MONUSCO peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo between 2013 and 2014. His command encompassed the M23 rebellion and Mwakibolwa was personally credited with making an important contribution to the defeat of the M23 rebels in Kivu Province.
Md Muhsin Alam, ndc, psc, is a Brigadier General in Bangladesh Army. He was the Principal of BKSP in 2012 and served there for two years. He also served as Colonel GS and Deputy Director General of DGFI. Brigadier General Md Muhsin Alam, ndc, psc commanded two infantry battalions of the Bangladesh Army. He also served as Brigade Commander of an Infantry Brigade. The Brigadier was the pioneer Brigade Commander of the only Para Commando Brigade of the Bangladesh Army. In 2019, on behalf of the Para Commando Brigade, Brigadier General Muhsin received the raising flag from the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina. This entitles him to a flag officer. Currently, he serves at D R Congo as the Northern Sector Commander of MONUSCO.
In late March 2022, the March 23 Movement (M23) launched an offensive in North Kivu, clashing with the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) and MONUSCO. The fighting displaced tens of thousands of civilians and caused renewed tensions between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, as the latter was accused of supporting the rebel offensive.
South Africa 
