Wazalendo

Wazalendo
Dates of operationMay 2023–present
Merger of
HeadquartersPinga[1]
Active regionsDemocratic Republic of the Congo
OpponentsMarch 23 Movement
 Rwanda
Battles and warsKivu Conflict

The Wazalendo (Swahili for Patriots) is a group of irregular fighters[2] in North Kivu province made up of rebel groups allied with the official Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) military and opposed to the M23.[3] It consists of the Alliance of Patriots for a Free and Sovereign Congo (APCLS), Nduma Defense of Congo-Renovated (NDC-R), the Collective of Movements for Change (CMC), Patriotic Self-Defense Movement (MPA), and different Nyatura groups.[4][5]

  1. ^ a b The 'wazalendo': Patriots at war in eastern DRC, 19 December 2023
  2. ^ Livingstone, Emmet (2024-05-17). "'Bullet wounds are common': crime rife in DRC's rebel-besieged city of Goma". the Guardian. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
  3. ^ "The 'wazalendo': Patriots at war in eastern DRC". Le Monde.fr. 2023-12-19. Retrieved 2024-03-17.
  4. ^ "Afrikarabia » Contre le M23, Kinshasa fait le pari risqué des groupes armés" (in French). Retrieved 2024-03-17.
  5. ^ "M23 crisis flares again in North Kivu: context, dynamics and risks". IPIS. Retrieved 2024-03-17.