Thomas Lubanga's rebels prevented the FARDC from harassing them.
The Democratic Republic of Congo's armed forces (FARDC) announced that the CRP (Convention pour la Révolution Populaire) armed group founded by Thomas Lubanga Dyilo has been carrying out attacks in Ituri province for the past few days.
Lubanga was previously sentenced to 14 years in prison by the International Criminal Court (ICC) after being convicted of war crimes including the use of child soldiers in the UPC he founded, and was released in 2020.
When he was released, the DRC government used him in talks with leaders of the CODECO armed group to dismantle it. These actions were in line with the promise he had made to the ICC to reconcile the Congolese people and apologize to those he had wronged.
In March 2025, the DRC military announced that Lubanga had founded the CRP, which began operating in Ituri province. Three months later, United Nations experts confirmed that the Congolese had returned to the rebel ranks.
From 15 to 17 May, CRP fighters engaged in fierce clashes with the DRC army in the Lopa area and its surroundings, in the Djugu territory of Ituri province.
The DRC army also announced that on the night of 17 to 18 May, it had repelled a CRP attack in the Nyamamba area on the shores of Lake Albert in Djugu.
The spokesman for the DRC military in Ituri, Lt Jules Ngongo, announced that in the recent fighting, CRP fighters were pushed back, taking refuge in schools and churches.
Lt Ngongo announced that CRP fighters had been attacking government forces in Ituri for four days, and called on Lubanga to dismantle the group because its activities continue to put the population in danger.
He said, “We call on Thomas Lubanga to stop his criminal activities, to stop endangering the lives of young people because when they die, Ituri is lost, those who leave their families to live with him in the forest, the future of Ituri is in danger.”
The DRC military also confirmed that the CRP is working with another group called Zaire operating in Ituri.
