Thomas Lubanga, a convicted war criminal based in Uganda, has announced the formation of a new rebel movement aimed at overthrowing the government in eastern Congo’s Ituri province. The emergence of the Convention for the Popular Revolution (CPR) adds to the region’s instability as Congo’s military struggles against Rwandan-backed M23 rebels elsewhere.
Lubanga, an Ituri native, was convicted by the International Criminal Court in 2012 for recruiting child soldiers and sentenced to 14 years in prison. Released in 2020, he was later appointed by President Felix Tshisekedi to a peace task force for Ituri. However, after being kidnapped for two months by a rebel group in 2022—a move he blames on the government—Lubanga relocated to Uganda.
In written responses to Reuters, Lubanga said the CPR has both political and military wings, with armed men in three areas of Ituri. He called for an “immediate change in governance and government” to restore peace but claimed the group has yet to launch military operations. The scale of his armed forces remains unclear, though U.N. experts previously accused him of mobilizing fighters for a local militia and M23.
Congo’s presidency has not commented on Lubanga’s announcement. Meanwhile, Ituri remains plagued by violence from multiple armed groups. Doctors Without Borders recently reported a surge in attacks, with more than 200 civilians killed and 100,000 displaced since the start of the year. Ugandan troops are also present in the region, assisting in the fight against the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an Islamic State-linked militia notorious for brutal attacks on villages.
