Twirwaneho

Common card · No. 463309

Twirwaneho (Kinyarwanda for "let's defend ourselves"), officially the Movement of Republicans for the Dignity of Peoples (MRDP or MRDP–Twirwaneho) is a rebel paramilitary group operating in the South Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. MRDP–Twirwaneho is composed primarily of members of the Banyamulenge community. The group was established in the early 2010s as a self-defense militia formed to counter ethnic violence, land conflicts, and attacks by rival armed factions, notably the Mai-Mai. Although it waned around 2009, it reappeared in 2015 under David Muhoza Ndahigima, also known as "El Shabaab", during a resurgence of insecurity in South Kivu's highlands. Under his leadership, MRDP–Twirwaneho transformed from a defensive militia into a more structured armed organization carrying out offensive operations against opposing militias and ethnic groups. Its ranks expanded over time to include ex-combatants, diaspora members, and allied fighters, with support from transnational...

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