1. Home
  2. Africa
  3. DRC

Who's Who - Parties, armed groups and factions

Who's Who - Parties, armed groups and factions related to Ituri in 2002

ADF - Allied Democratic Forces - A western Uganda rebel group with rear bases in the DRC. Now thought to have been largely wiped out.

APC - Armeé du peuple congolais or Armee populaire congolaise. The armed wing of the RCD-K-ML led by Mbusa Nyamwisi.

FLC - A merger between MLC, RCD-ML and RCD-N formed under Ugandan tutelage in November 2000 and headed by the MLC's Jean-Pierre Bemba. Collapsed in August 2001.

MLC - Mouvement de liberation du Congo. Formed in 1998 with extensive Ugandan backing. Led by Jean-Pierre Bemba. Headquartered in the northern DRC's Equateur Province.

NALU - National Army for the Liberation of Uganda - Ugandan rebel group now largely wiped out.

RCD-Kisangani - Wamba dia Wamba formed this party when he was ousted from the original RCD in May 1999. It was shortlived and became the RCD-ML in September 1999.

RCD-K-ML - Kisangani faction of the RCD-ML led by Mbusa Nyamwisi with control of areas in North Kivu and Ituri. Allied with Mayi-Mayi and Kinshasa. Also the party of Jean-Baptiste Tibasima.

RCD-ML - Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie-Mouvement de liberation. Formed in September 1999 by Wamba dia Wamba after he and Ugandan forces were ousted from Kisangani by Rwanda. Not in control of any territory presently.

RCD-National - Led by Roger Lumbala, formed during the splintering of the RCD-ML in mid-2000. Originally based in Bafwasende. Now allied with the MLC.

UPC - Union des patriotes congolais. Hema-dominated. Came to prominence after taking Bunia in August 2002. Sometimes referred to as UPC-FRP (Front for Reconciliation and Peace). Ongoing internal power struggle between Thomas Lubanga and Chief Kahwa Mandro.

UPDF - Ugandan army, the Ugandan People's Defence Forces. Led by Brig James Kazini.


This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

Share this article

Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

Become a member of The New Humanitarian

Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

Join