A United Nations expert report, released on December 30, 2025, reveals that since March 2025, AFC/M23 fighters have launched repeated attacks against Wazalendo groups, forcing them to relocate their positions. Some Wazalendo members, including the well-known figure Mapenzi, formerly of NDC-R, have defected to the coalition, which controls areas including the city of Goma.
The UN experts noted that Wazalendo and FDLR forces have continued operations across several parts of North Kivu Province, including the territories of Masisi, Rutshuru, Nyiragongo, and Walikale, and that they maintain a presence even on the outskirts of Goma.
Guidon Shimiray Mwissa, the overall commander of Wazalendo and leader of NDC-R, relocated from Pinga in Walikale to the Kibati area. Janvier Karairi Boingo of APCLS established bases in Lukweti, Masisi, while fighters of the CMC-FDP group, led by Dominique Ndaruhutse, were stationed in Virunga National Park.
Since June 2025, Wazalendo fighters, in collaboration with the FDLR, have infiltrated areas controlled by AFC/M23, occasionally setting ambushes. Their operations aim to regain strategic locations, impede AFC/M23 fighters, and block supply routes used for transporting equipment.
The report highlights that in several attacks, Congolese government forces provided air support to these groups, and in some instances, government soldiers also participated directly in ground operations.
"Despite diplomatic efforts to address the presence of FDLR, FARDC continued to rely on operational support from the FDLR and groups aligned with them," the report reads in part.
Assistance from the DRC government to armed groups operating in North Kivu reportedly included weapons, ammunition, food, and uniforms, along with monthly payments of USD 300,000. These operations were largely coordinated through Colonel Cyprien Semivumbi Sekololo.
On October 10, 2025, the Congolese army issued a statement urging government soldiers and civilians to cease cooperating with the FDLR militia group, formed by individuals responsible for the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. The army also called on FDLR fighters to lay down their arms and be repatriated to Rwanda, warning that those who refused would face military action.
The army stated that its actions complied with the peace agreement signed between the DRC and Rwanda on June 27, 2025, which includes provisions to dismantle the FDLR and the lifting of Rwanda's defensive measures.
The report indicates that this army statement created tensions between the DRC military and the FDLR, as well as with Wazalendo. Some officials within the government and military reportedly acted behind the scenes to reassure the groups that cooperation would continue.
UN experts further noted that even if operations to dismantle the FDLR were attempted, the Congolese army lacks the capacity to completely neutralize the group.
Mercenaries in Kisangani and Walikale
The report confirms that after AFC/M23 gained control of Goma in 2025, mercenaries from the Congo Protection, who had been operating alongside Congolese government forces, suspended their operations. Additionally, mercenaries from the Agemira group terminated their contracts in July 2025
On January 29, 2025, more than 280 mercenaries from Europe, primarily Romania, returned home via Rubavu and then flew out from Kigali International Airport.
Following Agemira's withdrawal, the DRC government quickly hired other mercenaries reported to operate CH-4 drones. These drones were heavily deployed on the battlefield after government forces suffered significant losses.
The experts explained that the city of Kisangani, in Tshopo Province, is of strategic importance to Congolese forces fighting in North and South Kivu, as its airport serves as a key hub for deploying drones and other military equipment.
Kisangani has also emerged as a new base for foreign mercenary groups. Specifically, camps such as the one named after Lt Gen Bahuma Ambamba Lucien, as well as areas in Walikale, have hosted mercenaries from El Salvador since July 2025.
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