DRC rebel leader Lubanga declares ceasefire after meeting Museveni

Thomas Lubanga Dyilo, the rebel leader of the Convention for the Popular Revolution (CRP) operating in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has reaffirmed a ceasefire following a meeting with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni in Entebbe.

Lubanga announced the decision in a statement issued on Saturday, October 10, a day after meeting Museveni and a delegation of Congolese government and military officials involved in efforts to restore peace in the conflict-hit northeastern DRC.

The meeting, held on Friday, October 9, brought together representatives of the CRP and senior Congolese officials, including Lt Gen Jacques Kyaligonza Nduru, deputy chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC), and Maj Gen Evariste Kakule Somo, military governor of North Kivu.

Also present was Maj Gen Gaby Kasongo Mulumba Batoka, military governor of Ituri Province, where Lubanga’s movement operates. Ugandan officials included the country’s ambassador to the DRC, Farid M. Kaliisa, and its chargé d’affaires in the DRC, Jeannette.

Cyrille Muhindo Mbugheki, an expert on peace and security in northeastern DRC, also attended. Museveni had not issued an official statement on the meeting by the time of publication, although State House Entebbe released a group photograph of the participants.

In his statement, Lubanga directed the CRP’s executive secretary responsible for defence and the chief of general staff to oversee implementation of the ceasefire within their respective areas of responsibility.

He said the order took effect on the date of its signature and reaffirmed the movement’s commitment to halting hostilities against the Congolese government.

Lubanga said the October 9 meeting had agreed to resume, after two weeks, a pre-dialogue process initiated in April 2026. He added that the facilitation team had recommended that the parties refrain from armed confrontation to build trust and confidence ahead of the dialogue.

The ceasefire announcement comes amid persistent insecurity in eastern DRC, where numerous armed groups operate and efforts to negotiate an end to the fighting have repeatedly faced challenges.

From ICC conviction to renewed rebellion

Lubanga is a former warlord who rose to prominence during the violent conflicts that engulfed Ituri in the early 2000s. He served as a military commander and defence minister in the Congolese Rally for Democracy–Liberation Movement (RCD-ML) before founding the Union of Congolese Patriots (UPC) in 2001.

After breaking away from the RCD-ML, he became president of the UPC in September 2002 and established its military wing, the Patriotic Force for the Liberation of the Congo (FPLC).

The largely Hema movement became a major armed actor in the conflict between the Hema and Lendu communities. It seized control of Bunia, the provincial capital of Ituri, in 2002 and demanded recognition of the province as an autonomous entity within the DRC.

Human Rights Watch accused the UPC, under Lubanga’s leadership, of involvement in ethnic massacres, murder, torture, rape and mutilation, as well as recruiting and using children in armed conflict. The organisation documented the killing of hundreds of civilians in ethnic violence in the gold-mining area of Mongbwalu between November 2002 and June 2003.

The UPC was driven out of Bunia by Ugandan forces in March 2003. Lubanga later moved to Kinshasa, where he registered the UPC as a political party.

His activities eventually brought him before the International Criminal Court (ICC). Congolese authorities arrested him on March 17, 2006, and transferred him to The Hague, making him the first person to be taken into ICC custody under an arrest warrant issued by the court.

On March 14, 2012, the ICC found Lubanga guilty of recruiting and using children under the age of 15 in armed conflict in the DRC in 2002 and 2003. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison on July 10, 2012.

He was transferred to the DRC in December 2015 to serve the remainder of his sentence and was released on March 15, 2020.

A new armed movement in Ituri

In March 2025, Lubanga announced the formation of the CRP, a politico-military movement based in Ituri with an armed wing known as the Forces for the Popular Revolution (FRP).

A United Nations Group of Experts report published in July 2025 said the movement had sought to bring together several armed groups operating in Ituri. However, some of the groups named in its proposed leadership structure subsequently denied being affiliated with the movement or disputed the authenticity of signatures attributed to their representatives.

The UN experts also reported that Lubanga had struggled to mobilise significant popular support and raised concerns that the movement could be used to position him for negotiations involving the Congolese government and other political and military actors.

In July 2025, Lubanga announced that the CRP would align itself with the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC) and the March 23 Movement (M23), which have been fighting Congolese government forces. The announcement was followed by intensified clashes between the CRP and government forces in Ituri, according to subsequent UN reporting.

The latest ceasefire declaration could provide an opportunity to revive dialogue between Lubanga’s movement and the Congolese government. However, its significance will depend on whether the parties honour the cessation of hostilities and agree on a framework for negotiations.

Neither Museveni nor the Congolese government had publicly detailed the terms of the Entebbe meeting by the time of publication. It was therefore unclear how compliance with the ceasefire would be monitored or whether the discussions could lead to a broader agreement involving other armed groups.

For civilians in Ituri, who have endured years of violence, displacement and disruption of livelihoods, renewed dialogue could offer a path towards improved security. However, a ceasefire declaration alone does not guarantee an end to attacks, and its durability will depend on implementation and sustained engagement between the parties.

The post DRC rebel leader Lubanga declares ceasefire after meeting Museveni appeared first on The Observer Media Ltd.