Mai-Mai

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Mai-Mai fighters surrendering their weapons to United Nations personnel in Northern Katanga, 2006. Mai Mai Katanga.jpg
Mai-Mai fighters surrendering their weapons to United Nations personnel in Northern Katanga, 2006.

The term Mai-Mai or Mayi-Mayi refers to any kind of community-based militia group active in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that is formed to defend local communities and territory against other armed groups. Most were formed to resist the invasion of Rwandan forces and Rwanda-affiliated Congolese rebel groups, but some may have formed to exploit the war to their own advantage by looting, cattle rustling or banditry.

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Groups that fall under the umbrella term "Mai-Mai" include armed forces led by warlords, traditional tribal elders, village heads and politically motivated resistance fighters. Because Mai Mai have only the most tenuous internal cohesion, different Mai-Mai groups allied themselves with a variety of domestic and foreign government and guerrilla groups at different times. The term Mai-Mai refers not to any particular movement, affiliation or political objective but to a broad variety of groups.

The name comes from the Swahili word for water, "maji". Militia members sprinkle themselves with water to protect themselves from bullets. [1]

Mai-Mai were particularly active in the eastern Congolese provinces bordering Rwanda, North Kivu and South Kivu (the "Kivus"), which were under the control of the Rwanda-allied Banyamulenge-dominated rebel faction, the Congolese Rally for Democracy–Goma (RCD-Goma) during the Second Congo War. While militias have long been common in the Kivus, particularly among the minority Batembo and Babembe ethnic groups, the recent wars and conflicts caused large numbers of town dwellers to form Mai-Mai. Although the Mai-Mai, either as a group or as individual groups, were not party to the 1999 Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement, which was meant to end the Second Congo War, they remained one of the most powerful forces in the conflict, and the lack of co-operation from some groups has been problematic for the peace process.

Mai-Mai in North and South Kivu

The East-central DRC, showing Kivu Zaire 97 kivus.jpg
The East-central DRC, showing Kivu

According to a 2001 UN report, 20,000 to 30,000 Mai-Mai were active in the two Kivu provinces. The two most powerful and well-organized Mai-Mai groups in the Kivus were led by Generals Padiri and Dunia. Currently most active is a group which is called Mai-Mai Yakutumba, was organized in 2007 by General Yakutumba. They were reported to have received aid from the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo and are widely viewed by other Mai Mai groups as the leaders, though not the commanders, of the Kivu Mai-Mai. A number of smaller Mai-Mai groups, such as the Mudundu 40/Front de Résistance et de Défense du Kivu (FRDKI) and Mouvement de Lutte contre l'Agression au Zaïre/Forces Unies de Résistance Nationale contre l'Agression de la Républíque Démocratique du Congo (MLAZ/FURNAC), were reported to cooperate with the Rwandan military and Rally for Congolese Democracy–Goma (RCD-Goma).

Walikale and Masisi north of Goma were the centres of Mai-Mai activity in North Kivu. In South Kivu, there have historically been concentrations around Walungu and Bunyakiri south of Lake Kivu, around Uvira and Mwenaga at the northern end of Lake Tanganyika, further south around Fizi, and around Shabunda, between the Rwandan border and Kindu.

A Mai-Mai leader, Colonel Mayele, was arrested by UN forces in October 2010, allegedly being the leader behind mass rapes in the Walikale region of North Kivu province. [2]

Mai-Mai in Katanga

A former leader of the Mai-Mai, Gédéon Kyungu Mutanga, turned himself over to MONUC troops in May 2006. He was found guilty of numerous war crimes between October 2003 and May 2006 and was sentenced to death by the Kipushi Military Tribunal in Katanga Province on 6 March 2009. [3] He escaped from prison in September 2011 and formed the Mai-Mai Kata Katanga ("Secede Katanga"). [4]

Other Mai-Mai groups

There was a large Mai-Mai presence in Maniema, in particular around Kindu and Kalemie. Province Orientale also hosts a number of Mai-Mai, but these groups were apparently involved in long-standing ethnic disputes.

Mai-Mai Gedeon is also commanded by Gedeon Kyungu Mutanga and loosely tied to his Mai-Mai Kata Katanga. [4] The Corak Kata Katanga also known as the Co-ordination for a Referendum on Self-determination for Katanga, composed mainly of former Katanga Tigers, a separatist group active in the 1960s. [4] They claim to be behind the attack on the Katanga airport in February 2011. It is unclear to what extent all these groups are co-ordinated. [4]

The Nduma Defense of Congo (or Mai-Mai Sheka) was formed in 2009 by former minerals trader Ntabo Ntaberi Sheka, an ethnic Nyanga. [5] Sheka claims the group was formed to liberate the mines of Walikale Territory in North Kivu. [5] The NDC are accused of a mass rape of at least 387 women, men, and children over a three-day span in Walikale in 2010. [5]

Mai-Mai in Virunga National Park

In May 2007, Mai-Mai killed two wildlife officers in Virunga National Park and threatened to kill mountain gorillas if the government retaliated. The Mai-Mai are also suspected of the killings of nine mountain gorillas, with the use of machetes, and automatic weapons. In an October 2012 incident, Mai-Mai killed two park staff and a soldier, while three soldiers were injured. From 1990 to 2018 some 170 Virunga Rangers have died in such attacks, according to the World Wildlife Foundation. [6]

Six Virunga Park Rangers were killed in an ambush and a seventh ranger was injured in the Central section of the reserve on 10 January 2021. Officials suspected the Mai-Mai to be behind the attacks. [7]

In June 2023, 7 Virunga Park Rangers were killed by local Mai-Mai in the span of 10 days. [8]

See also

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Kivu</span> Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goma</span> Provincial capital and city in North Kivu, DR Congo

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Index of Democratic Republic of the Congo–related articles</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masisi Territory</span> Territory in North Kivu, DR Congo

Masisi Territory is a territory which is located within the North Kivu Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its political headquarters are located in the town of Masisi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kivu conflict</span> Conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walikale Territory</span> Territory in North Kivu, DR Congo

Walikale Territory is a territory located within the Congolese province of North Kivu, in the eastern regions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The headquarters are in the town of Walikale. The locality is situated between Bukavu and Lubutu on DR Congo National Road No. 3 in the valley of the river Lowa, 135 km to the west of Goma.

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Gédéon Kyungu Mutanga Wa Bafunkwa Kanonga, known as Commander Gédéon, is a Congolese warlord who was notable for leading the Mai-Mai Kata Katanga between 2011 and 2016.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rutshuru Territory</span> Place in North Kivu, DR Congo

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pweto Territory</span> Place in Haut-Katanga Province, DR Congo

Pweto Territory is a territory in the Haut-Katanga Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The headquarters are in the town of Pweto.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walikale</span> Town in the North Kivu Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Walikale is a town in the North Kivu Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It is the administrative center of the Walikale Territory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mai-Mai Kata Katanga</span>

Mai-Mai Kata Katanga, also called Mai-Mai Bakata Katanga, is a mai-mai rebel group in the Democratic Republic of the Congo which advocates the independence of the Congo's Katanga Province. It was formed shortly after the group's leader, Gédéon Kyungu Mutanga, escaped from prison in September 2011 where he was serving a sentence for crimes against humanity committed by his supporters between 2002 and 2006 in central Katanga. Kata Katanga means "cut [e.g. secede] Katanga" in Swahili. It has been estimated that, at its height in 2013, the Kata Katanga rebels numbered approximately 3,000 of whom most were based in Mitwaba Territory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katanga insurgency</span> Ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Katanga insurgency is an ongoing rebellion by a number of rebel groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, some of which aim for the creation of a separate state within Katanga. While the insurgency has been active in various forms since 1963, insurgent groups have recently redoubled their efforts after the 2011 jail break that freed Gédéon Kyungu Mutanga, who commanded the majority of the Katangese separatist groups until his surrender to Congolese authorities in October 2016.

The Nduma Defense of Congo is a militia that operates in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo as part of the Kivu conflict. Mai-Mai groups are militia unique to the eastern DRC, formed ostensibly to defend villages from attacks from Rwandan forces and Rwandan-backed rebel groups. However, Mai-Mai groups have been accused of sexual violence, looting, and fighting all sides including fellow militias, the DRC Army, and the United Nations.

William Amuri Yakutumba is the leader of the National Coalition of the People for the Sovereignty of Congo, an anti-government rebel coalition fighting in the Kivu conflict. Yakutumba has been involved in armed mobilization since 1996, fighting for the Mai-Mai before eventually leading his own group. Yakutumba claims to fight for democracy and against the purported invasion of Rwandophone populations in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

References

  1. ↑ E.F. Kisangani, S.F. Bobb, Historical Dictionary of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
  2. ↑ Congo rebel chief arrested over mass rape – The Irish Times – Thu, Oct 07, 2010
  3. ↑ "Kipushi : Kyungu Mutanga alias Gédéon condamné à la peine capitale". Radio Okapi . 6 March 2009. Retrieved 6 March 2009.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Katanga: Fighting for DR Congo's cash cow to secede". bbcnews.com. 11 August 2013. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
  5. 1 2 3 "DR Congo: Wanted Rebel's Troops Instill Fear". Human Rights Watch. 6 January 2015. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
  6. ↑ WWF deeply saddened by death of Virunga park protectors (WWF article)
  7. ↑ "Statement from Virunga National Park on recent attack". Virunga National Park. 10 January 2021. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  8. ↑ "Statement from Virunga National Park on recent attack". Virunga National Park. 16 June 2023. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
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