CW Note

CWA # 2101
CW Note
DR Congo: New Wave of Violence
Farmer-herder clashes, Armed groups, and Security vacuum

The focus on M23 has undermined the required attention to other conflicts in the eastern regions of DR Congo.

Anu Maria Joseph
15 May 2026
Photo Source:

In the News
On 8 May, several people were killed in an attack by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in Ituri province. The attack followed another incident involving two other rebel groups, where at least 69 people were killed on 28 April. The attack was carried out by the Cooperative for the Development of Congo (CODECO), which claimed to be protecting the Lendu community. The attack was in response to a previous attack by a lesser-known armed group, the Convention for the Popular Revolution (CRP), which fights for the Hema community. 

On 8 May, the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) condemned the attacks. 

On the same day, a senior advisor at Amnesty International responded: “We do expect more from the security forces. In particular, with the confrontations with the ADF, we see entire areas that are emptied of troops that have been diverted to other front lines, leaving civilians completely vulnerable to ADF and other armed groups.”

Issues in the background
1. The DRC-M23 conflict, Security vacuum, and New violence
The eastern regions of DR Congo have been a conflict hotspot in Africa ever since the reemergence of M23 rebels in 2021. Last year, M23 took control of Goma and Bukavu, the regional capitals of North and South Kivu provinces, which was followed by full-scale violence. This is one of the conflicts US President Donald Trump claimed to have ended by mediating a peace deal in December 2025. However, the violence has continued; post-agreement developments are far from sufficient to end the conflict. While much security attention has been shifted to Goma, Bukavu, Masisi and border regions with Rwanda, fighting M23, violence between other armed groups (according to the UN, there are more than 120 armed groups active in the region) has increased, especially in Ituri. For state forces, fighting M23 is a priority over national security concerns and international attention. The state's limited security apparatus, in addition to the withdrawal of MONUSCO forces, has contributed to the security vacuum and increased violence involving farmer-herder communities and unpopular armed groups.

2. Prolonged Hema-Lendu farmer-herder clashes
The Hema are traditionally cattle-herding communities, while the Lendu are mainly agricultural communities. The clashes between the two communities over land, cattle, political power, and access to resources have been ongoing for decades. The clashes continue because state institutions are incapable of resolving colonial-era land disputes, providing security, enforcing justice, and regulating local governance. This has caused prolonged hatred, revenge killings, and retaliations.

3. The role of CODECO and CRP
The armed group, CODECO, is a Lendu group that claims to protect the community in Ituri province. They target the Hema villages and the Congolese state, which the group perceives as favouring Hema elites. Meanwhile, CRP is a lesser-known armed group in Ituri province that emerged in 1999 to oppose CODECO and support the Hema community. The group, formed by Thomas Lubanga, a former rebel leader, began reemerging in late 2025. Both groups control the mineral-rich areas of Ituri, the group's major source of finance. 

In perspective

The gold-rich Ituri province, where the new wave of violence has erupted, is part of the eastern DRC that has been a battleground for several armed groups, vying to take control of its minerals and illegal trade. National, regional, and international diplomatic and military efforts remain focused on the M23 insurgency and tensions involving Rwanda. This has given groups such as ADF, CODECO, and CRP greater operational space. 

The narrowly capacitated security forces have been fighting multiple armed groups in different regions. The failure to quell similar isolated clashes risks the likelihood of involvement of hundreds of other inactive armed groups. It would also intensify cross-border arms flows, displacement, illegal mineral smuggling, and the involvement of unstable neighbouring states, taking advantage of instability in eastern Congo. 

The ongoing US-led peace process appears to prioritize stability over long-lasting peace. The mediators focus on the peace process involving the primary armed groups. The new wave of attacks by lesser-known actors undermines the ongoing process, and peace cannot be established in such a restive region.

About the author

Anu Maria Joseph is currently a Non-Resident Fellow, Subhas Chandra Bose International Relations (SCB-IR) Chair. Chanakya University, Bangalore.


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