CIAO DATE: 01/2013
December 2012
"Eastern Congo: The ADF-Nalu’s Lost Rebellion", the latest briefing from the International Crisis Group, examines how the Allied Democratic Forces-National Army for the Liberation of Uganda (ADF-Nalu), a Congolese-Ugandan armed group, shows remarkable resilience, owing to its geostrategic position, its successful integration into the cross-border economy and corruption in the security forces. “The ADF-Nalu is one of the oldest but least known armed groups in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the only one in the area to be considered an Islamist terrorist organisation”, says Marc-André Lagrange, Crisis Group’s Central Africa Senior Analyst. “Although it does not represent the same destabilising threat as the 23 March Movement (M23), it has been accused of terrorist attacks in Uganda and has managed to fend off the Congolese army since 2010”. Created in the DRC in 1995 through the merger of several armed groups, the ADF-Nalu fought the Ugandan government led by Yoweri Museveni, but never managed to gain a foothold in that country. A Ugandan movement in origin composed of Christian and Muslim fighters, it put down roots in eastern Congo, especially in the remote border area of the Rwenzori mountains. It has become integrated into local communities, has participated in cross-border trade and has established relations with various armed groups in eastern Congo and with Congolese and Ugandan civilian and military authorities. The ADF-Nalu blended into this grey area where state authority has been traditionally weak and illicit economic activities have consistently prospered. More than the recent Muslim radicalisation of the movement, the ADF-Nalu’s local integration in a strategic border zone allowed it to survive without winning a battle for more than fifteen years and to resist several attempts to neutralise it.
Resource link: L'Est du Congo : la rébellion perdue des ADF-Nalu [PDF] - 4.9M