FDLR strength grows to 10,000 fighters, Says UN report
United Nations experts have revealed that the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a terrorist group operating in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has expanded its ranks through continued recruitment.
Previously, UN experts estimated the FDLR’s strength at between 1,000 and 2,000 fighters. However, the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) spokesperson, Brig Gen Ronald Rwivanga, recently stated that the group now comprises between 7,000 and 10,000 combatants.
A new report submitted to the UN Security Council Sanctions Committee in May 2025 indicates that both the FDLR and Wazalendo militias intensified recruitment efforts from January, coinciding with the AFC/M23 offensive to capture key cities in eastern DRC.
According to the report, the FDLR and Wazalendo have forcibly recruited children, particularly from camps hosting people displaced by conflict, as well as from communities sympathetic to their cause.
The experts note that these children, along with other newly recruited fighters, are subjected to advanced military training to boost the FDLR’s operational capacity on the battlefield.
Recruiting children into armed groups violates international humanitarian laws that require the protection of minors in conflict situations, the report emphasized, further underlining the complexity of resolving insecurity in eastern DRC.
Despite the FDLR being under UN sanctions, the DRC government continues to collaborate with the group in military operations against the AFC/M23 coalition, in contravention of international norms.
In September 2024, the relationship between the Congolese army (FARDC) and the FDLR temporarily deteriorated when FARDC launched attacks against the group under international pressure. However, relations improved shortly after, with Major General Peter Cirimwami, then-governor of North Kivu Province, reportedly mediating the renewed cooperation.
A previous UN report indicated that Maj Gen Cirimwami had warned FDLR leaders in advance of planned military operations, allowing them to relocate their bases before the attacks began.
The latest report also accuses the Congolese government of providing the FDLR and Wazalendo with funds and equipment, ignoring UN Security Council measures prohibiting the transfer of weapons to sanctioned armed groups.
On June 27, Rwanda and the DRC signed a peace agreement aimed at ending regional conflicts and fostering cooperation in development across the Great Lakes region.
Key provisions of the agreement include dismantling the FDLR and lifting Rwanda’s defensive measures against potential attacks from the terrorist group.
However, analysts warn that separating FARDC from the FDLR could prove difficult due to their entrenched collaboration on the battlefield.
