General Laurent Nkunda Mihigo (born 1967) is a Congolese former military officer and warlord of Tutsi ethnicity. He was a central, highly destabilizing figure in the protracted conflicts in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), particularly in the North Kivu province, where he led a major rebellion in the 2000s.
Key Biographical Information
| Detail | Information |
| Full Name | Laurent Nkunda Mihigo (born Laurent Nkundabatware) |
| Born | February 2, 1967, Mutanda, North Kivu, DRC (then Congo-Kinshasa) |
| Ethnicity | Congolese Tutsi |
| Highest Rank | General (in the Congolese Army, before defecting) |
| Rebel Group | National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP) (Founder) |
| Current Status | Arrested by Rwanda in January 2009; held under house arrest in Rwanda |
| Wanted For | War crimes, including the forced conscription of child soldiers (by the DRC and international bodies) |
Early Career and Regional Wars
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Teacher Turned Soldier: Nkunda studied psychology at the University of Kisangani and worked as a school teacher before becoming a soldier in 1993.
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Rwandan Civil War: He traveled to Rwanda and joined the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) forces fighting the Hutu-led genocidal regime.
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First and Second Congo Wars: He returned to Congo (then Zaire) in 1996 and fought alongside the AFDL forces led by Laurent-Désiré Kabila in the First Congo War (which overthrew Mobutu Sese Seko). He later rebelled against Kabila’s government and became a major in the Congolese Rally for Democracy-Goma (RCD-Goma), a rebel group backed by Rwanda during the Second Congo War (1998–2003).
The Kivu Conflict and the CNDP
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Defection and Rebellion: Following the official end of the Second Congo War in 2003, Nkunda was integrated into the new transitional Congolese National Army (FARDC) and promoted to General in 2004. However, he soon rejected the government’s authority, defected with his loyal troops, and raised a flag of rebellion in the Masisi forests of North Kivu.
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CNDP Formation: In 2006, he formed the National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP), a political-military organization.
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Stated Goal: Nkunda claimed his goal was to defend the interests of the Congolese Tutsi minority (known as Banyamulenge) from persecution, particularly by the FDLR (Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda), the Hutu remnants of the genocidal forces that had fled to eastern Congo after 1994.
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Warlord Accusations: Critics, including the DRC government and human rights groups, viewed Nkunda as a warlord operating with substantial backing from Rwanda, whose forces committed widespread atrocities, including massacres, torture, and rape against civilians. He was indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the alleged forced conscription of child soldiers.
Arrest and Detention
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Final Offensive: In late 2008, Nkunda’s CNDP forces launched a major offensive, pushing FARDC back and nearly capturing the provincial capital, Goma, causing a massive humanitarian crisis.
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Arrest in Rwanda: Facing international pressure and a split within the CNDP (led by his own chief-of-staff, Bosco Ntaganda), Rwanda made a diplomatic U-turn. In a joint military operation with the DRC, Rwandan forces arrested Nkunda on January 22, 2009, after he crossed into Rwandan territory.
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Current Status: Since his arrest, Nkunda has been held under house arrest in Rwanda. The Rwandan government has consistently refused to extradite him to the DRC or surrender him to the ICC to face war crimes charges, maintaining he is being held because he was a threat to regional stability. His continued detention without trial remains a source of diplomatic tension between Rwanda and the DRC.