Former FDLR fighters reveal why they abandoned armed struggle to return to Rwanda

Former fighters of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) have described how years of insecurity, ideological disillusionment and contact with relatives persuaded them to abandon the armed group and return to Rwanda from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

In interviews published by Al Jazeera on Wednesday, 21 October 2026, several former FDLR commanders recounted their experiences in the forests of eastern DRC and the circumstances that led them to seek repatriation.

Their accounts emerged from Rwanda's Mutobo Demobilisation and Reintegration Centre in Musanze District, where former combatants receive support intended to help them transition into civilian life.

Among the returnees is Jean Claude Hategekimana, who joined the FDLR in 2018 and eventually attained the rank of captain.

Born in Rutsiro District in 1996, Hategekimana moved to the DRC with his parents and grew up in territory controlled by the armed group.

He told Al Jazeera that he returned to Rwanda on 24 February 2026 after fighting around Goma and subsequently fleeing to Masisi.

Hategekimana said he had been led to believe that returning fighters would be killed in Rwanda. However, after becoming disillusioned with the conflict, he decided to leave the group despite those fears.

Former commanders describe changing convictions

Hategekimana's account reflects a broader pattern described by several former FDLR officers interviewed at Mutobo.

Major-General Anastase Munyaneza, who served in the former Rwandan armed forces during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, said that maintaining contact with his family in Rwanda contributed to his decision to return.

He explained that relatives had continued their education, employment and family lives while he remained in the forests of the DRC.

Their experiences led him to question his involvement in the armed group. Seeing other former fighters return also influenced his decision.

Munyaneza said he eventually contacted personnel from the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), who helped arrange his journey from South Kivu towards the Rwandan border.

Another former commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Idrissa Bizimana, who had been involved in the FDLR's ideology, propaganda and recruitment activities, said his decision followed a change in his beliefs.

According to his account, he contacted MONUSCO personnel and shared his location through a satellite telephone, allowing a helicopter to collect him.

Colonel Augustin Nshimiyimana, a former intelligence commander who returned in 2022, described a different motivation.

He said he feared for his life after another commander accused him of collaborating with Rwanda following a disagreement over an assignment in Bujumbura.

Lieutenant-Colonel Emilien Mpakaniye, meanwhile, said he had become disillusioned with the organisation, including differences between the circumstances of senior commanders' families and ordinary fighters.

These accounts represent the personal testimonies of the former combatants interviewed by Al Jazeera, rather than an independently established explanation for every FDLR member who has returned.

How Mutobo prepares returnees for civilian life

The Mutobo Demobilisation and Reintegration Centre was established in 2001 to support former members of the FDLR and other Rwandan armed groups returning from the DRC.

Francis Musoni, secretary-general of the Rwanda Demobilisation and Reintegration Commission (RDRC), told Al Jazeera that its programme combines medical treatment, psychosocial support, civic education and assistance with reconnecting with families.

Former combatants also receive educational and vocational opportunities intended to help them become economically self-reliant.

According to Musoni, the average stay at the centre is approximately five months, although official commission announcements describe different training durations for individual groups of returnees.

The commission also provides follow-up support after discharge, including assistance with employment, education and income-generating activities.

In October 2025, the RDRC reported that 143 former combatants had completed its 75th pre-discharge orientation phase, while 135 beneficiaries had completed vocational training and received start-up toolkits.

The commission said 12,602 adult former members of armed groups had been demobilised through its programmes since 2001, according to figures released at that time.

Education is another component of the rehabilitation process.

Febronie Mukankiko, a teacher at Mutobo, told Al Jazeera that former fighters who spent much of their lives in armed groups often require specialised teaching methods.

She said completing formal studies and obtaining certificates can be particularly meaningful for returnees who had limited opportunities to attend school.

Reintegration remains part of wider regional peace efforts

The FDLR emerged following the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, after members of Rwanda's former armed forces and militia groups fled into what was then Zaire.

The group has remained involved in insecurity in eastern DRC, where its presence continues to feature prominently in tensions between Kigali and Kinshasa.

Rwanda considers the FDLR a threat to its national security. The armed group's disarmament and neutralisation have also featured in regional diplomatic initiatives addressing the conflict in eastern DRC.

MONUSCO has supported voluntary repatriation by helping foreign combatants leave armed groups and return to their countries of origin.

In November 2025, the UN mission reported that it had facilitated the return of 44 former combatants, primarily FDLR members, and 54 dependants between January and October that year.

Rwanda's reintegration activities have continued in 2026.

On 17 October, the RDRC reported that 63 senior former FDLR combatants participated in a seminar at Mutobo examining genocide ideology, accountability and the responsibilities of former fighters in preventing further violence.

The programme forms part of efforts to encourage former combatants to reject armed activity and participate in civilian society.