Kampala, Uganda – Former Congolese warlord Thomas Lubanga has announced the formation of a new rebel group, the Convention for the Popular Revolution (CPR), in Uganda, with the stated aim of overthrowing the government of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President Félix Tshisekedi. The development raises fresh concerns over security in the region and the role of external actors, including Uganda, in fueling and prolonging conflict in the DRC.
Lubanga, a former leader of the Union of Congolese Patriots (UPC), was a central figure in the Ituri conflict (1999-2007), during which more than 60,000 civilians were killed and 500,000 displaced. The UPC, primarily composed of fighters from the Bahema ethnic group, engaged in brutal clashes with the rival Lendu community, with Uganda accused of providing arms, funding, and military training to Lubanga’s forces.
Uganda’s involvement in the DRC war has long been a source of controversy. In 2005, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) found Uganda guilty of war crimes, including the killing and torture of civilians, destruction of villages, and the plundering of Ituri’s vast mineral resources. Uganda was ordered to compensate the DRC for its actions. A 2008 Human Rights Watch (HRW) report detailed how Uganda, Rwanda, and the DRC government backed different armed factions in Ituri, exacerbating instability. The report estimated that the Ugandan military, with Lubanga’s help, smuggled over $9 million worth of gold out of Ituri between 1999 and 2003.
Lubanga was arrested in 2006 by Congolese authorities and extradited to the International Criminal Court (ICC), where he was convicted of war crimes, including the conscription and use of child soldiers. Sentenced to 14 years, he was released on March 15, 2020. Now, just five years after his release, he is planning another insurgency from Ugandan territory.
His resurgence has reignited fears that Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and his son, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, could once again be backing Lubanga to advance Uganda’s strategic and economic interests in the DRC. Throughout the past conflicts, Uganda was accused of using its military presence in Ituri as a cover for plundering the region’s gold, diamonds, and timber.
Despite Ugandan officials’ past denials of direct involvement in Lubanga’s human rights violations, their continued engagement with armed groups in eastern DRC raises critical questions about regional stability. Kenya, which lost a peacekeeper to Lubanga’s forces during the Ituri conflict, and other regional stakeholders are closely monitoring the situation.
As Uganda, Rwanda, and other foreign actors extend their influence over conflict zones in eastern DRC and South Sudan, analysts warn that peace in the region remains elusive. Until foreign powers step back, the cycle of violence and exploitation is likely to continue, leaving millions of Congolese civilians caught in the crossfire.
