Katanga insurgency

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Katanga Insurgency
Mai Mai militants surrendering in northern Katanga.
Date 1963 – present (61 years) Location Democratic Republic of the Congo Result Ongoing
Belligerents
Congo-Léopoldville (until 1971)  Zaire (1971–1997)  DR Congo (from 1997) ONUC (until 1964) MONUSCO (since 1999) Local self-defence groups[1]	Katangese rebels: Katangese Gendarmerie (1960s) FLNC (1967–1991) Mai Mai Kata Katanga (since 2011) Mai Mai Gédéon CORAK CPK Alleged Support: FARDC elements[2] Katangese businessmen[2] FDLR Mai Mai Yakutumba[3][4] CNPSC
Commanders and leaders
Mobutu Sese Seko (until 1997) Joseph Kabila Félix Tshisekedi Jean Claude Kifwa Pacifique Masunzu[5] Rombault Nsiona[6] Martin Kobler	Moïse Tshombe (POW) (until 1967) Nathaniel Mbumba (until 1990s) Gédéon Kyungu Yesu Mulongo † Fidel Ntumbi (POW) Sylvestre Mudacumura[7] Callixte Mbarushimana Ignace Murwanashyaka
Strength
150,000 FARDC 670 MONUSCO (2014)[8] 450 troops[9] 100 special forces[9]	6,000–7,000 (FLNC, 1977)[10] 1,000–3,000 (2000s)
Casualties and losses
Unknown	Thousands killed

The Katanga insurgency is an ongoing rebellion by a number of rebel groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, some of which aim for the creation of a separate state within Katanga. While the insurgency has been active in various forms since 1963, insurgent groups have recently redoubled their efforts after the 2011 jail break that freed Gédéon Kyungu Mutanga, who commanded the majority of the Katangese separatist groups until his surrender to Congolese authorities in October 2016.^[11]

Since 2000, FDLR insurgents have been engaged in a low level military conflict with the FARDC and various Katangese separatist groups; the FDLR are mostly active in the north-eastern portion of Katanga province near the border with South Kivu. The conflict in the region has caused an exodus of around 600,000 refugees to various other parts of the DRC, and an unknown number of civilians have died as a result of the conflict.