Despite repeated denials from the DRC government, the truth has gradually emerged. What was once concealed is now undeniableâ€"the world has witnessed it unfold.
Recently, 288 mercenaries engaged by the DRC government were defeated in battle and granted safe passage through Rwanda to return to their home country, Romania.
The presence of foreign fighters in the conflict had long been suspected. Reports first surfaced in early 2023, alleging that the Congolese government was relying on mercenaries to combat M23. While Rwanda repeatedly pointed to this, Kinshasa dismissed the claims as propaganda.
At the time, residents of Goma reported seeing armed foreigners lodged at Hotel Mbiza. Many suspected they were members of Wagner, the infamous Russian mercenary group.
Curious about the allegations, IGIHE posed the question to Russia's former ambassador to Rwanda, Karen Chalyan. He denied Wagner's presence in the DRC but admitted hearing that the mercenaries came from Eastern Europe.
"I wish I had Rwf1000 for every time I've had to answer this question. Then, instead of doing international relations, I would be a very rich man spending his days in the world's fanciest casinos.
"Let me say once again: there are no Wagner personnel in the DRC. And, to preempt another question, no agents of the Russian government are involved in any advisory capacity in eastern DRCâ€"much less fighting," the ambassador stated.
Three years later, it is no longer a rumour. IGIHE recently visited Goma and the very building where these mercenaries had stayed. The visit came after their surrender and evacuation through Rwanda.
At 6 AM on January 29, 2025, we arrived at the La Corniche border post between Rwanda and the DRC, expecting the mercenaries to be handed over by 10 AM. We waited for hours, only to learn that after surrendering to MONUSCO, negotiations were still ongoing.
M23 wanted them to leave the DRC in full military gear since they had been combatants, but the mercenaries refused.
At 3 PM, they crossed into Rwandan territory. Each one was thoroughly searched before being transported to Kigali, where they were later flown back to Romania.
Some of them wore United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) caps, raising questions about how a UN agency could allow such individuals to use its insignia.
This further reinforced allegations that during their time in the DRC, they were shielded by MONUSCO forces and even collaborated with them.
All of the mercenaries worked for Asociatia RALF, which UN experts identify as a Romanian enterprise composed of former Romanian soldiers from the French Foreign Legion.
They were reportedly paid around $5,000 per monthâ€"while regular Congolese soldiers earn as little as $100 or sometimes go unpaid. Their contracts stipulated an "indefinite period" of service, with a one-month break after every three months of deployment.
One recruit disclosed, "I am a fitness trainer by profession. I was in charge of the physical training of Congolese soldiers, preparing them for the battlefield."
Another told us at the border that he had been in Goma for only two weeks after arriving from Tunisia. He even showed us his passport.
In Goma, they were housed in Quartier Les Volcans in a luxurious four-story apartmentâ€"one of the finest in the area. Inside, we found documents detailing their military strategy against M23, revealing plans to engage on multiple fronts.
Asociatia RALF is believed to operate across Africa, with contracts mentioning several "operational locations," including Burkina Faso, DR Congo, Ivory Coast, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Gambia, and Guinea.
The presence of mercenaries in the DRC is not new. Between 1960 and 1965, the country became a battleground for foreign fighters.
One of the most infamous was Thomas Michael Hoare, who, along with his "4 Commando" unit, fought alongside Moïse Tshombe in Katanga's secession war, serving Belgian interests.
In 1964, he returned to Congo as a military leader for Tshombe, commanding 300 South African fighters under the unit known as "Wild Geese."
Meanwhile, in Kisangani, Pierre Mulele's Simba rebels had taken 1,600 hostages, including European missionaries.
With the help of Belgian paratroopers, Cuban pilots, and CIA-backed mercenaries, Hoare defeated the Simba rebels in what became known as "Operation Dragon Rouge."
Hoare often claimed that wars could be won even with a choir of church singers.
On July 7, 1967, Belgian mercenary Jean Schramme and his 120-man unit, alongside 2,500 Katangan fighters, took control of Bukavu, declaring the region an independent stateâ€"the "État des Volontaires Étrangers" (EVE).
Schramme aimed to overthrow Mobutu Sese Seko's government and avenge the deaths of Patrice Lumumba and Pierre Mulele. However, his rebellion lasted only four months before being crushed.
Another notorious mercenary, Frenchman Bob Denard, first appeared in the DRC in 1961 to support Tshombe's coup attempt against Mobutu.
He returned in 1964, this time fighting for Mobutu's government alongside European and Katangan mercenaries.
Even revolutionary icon Che Guevara once set foot in Congo, reportedly seeking to expand his movement from Argentina.
The involvement of foreign fighters has continued into the modern era.
In June 2011, then-President Joseph Kabila hired DynCorp, a U.S.-based private military contractor known for deploying mercenaries to Iraq and Afghanistan. Kabila paid $17 million to train the Congolese army (FARDC).
Yet, history has shown that mercenaries have never brought lasting peace to the DRC. Instead, they have left behind devastation, plunder, and further instability.
IGIHE
Source : https://en.igihe.com/politics-48/article/the-untold-story-of-romanian-mercenaries-in-congo-video
