In an exclusive interview with IGIHE, he revealed how he ended up joining the militia group formed by remnants of the perpetrators of the Genocide against the Tutsi, saying he was coerced through persistent harassment by its members, which is one of the tactics used to recruit young people.
'The first time I got involved was because of mistreatment. If you were a capable young man, they would constantly make you carry their loads every day. Whatever you did wouldn’t be appreciated, and they’d say they would stop only if you joined the militia. I got angry and ended up joining the group,” he stated.
He joined the FDLR in 2017, initially believing it was a noble organisation with sound intentions and legitimate goals. But once inside, he realised they were deeply entrenched in genocidal ideology and engaged in destabilising activities. That’s when he started plotting how to escape.
He confirmed that their core activity was combat training and fighting, with the stated goal of overthrowing the Rwandan government because it is led by Tutsis.
The ex-combatant revealed that the group’s collaboration with the Congolese army, FARDC, gave the FDLR a significant role in the DRC during the conflict involving the M23 rebel group, which advocates for the rights of Kinyarwanda-speaking Congolese and is opposed by the government of President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi.
'We were on the front lines while FARDC was positioned behind us. Sometimes they would mix us together, especially when we wore FARDC uniforms, making it hard to distinguish us. But when we returned to base, we were housed separately,” he said.
Ntawiheba revealed that battle planning was often led by FDLR senior commanders, who coordinated with FARDC officers in French to strategise combat operations.
A clear sign that the FDLR was leading the front lines was that, during attacks or battles, they were always the first to engage, while FARDC and Wazalendo forces followed behind.
Food supplies during combat missions were provided by FARDC, along with ammunition, weapons, and uniforms distributed to all fighters.
Six months of FDLR and FARDC cohabitation in military camps
Officials at various levels of the Congolese government have repeatedly denied cooperating with the FDLR, but their actions and patterns of collaboration often speak louder than their statements.
Ntawiheba said the FDLRâ”FARDC alliance was kept highly secret, with many fighters on the ground unaware of its existence.
However, after M23 gained ground and advanced toward Sake, a decision was made to station all troops together in the same base.
'It was initially kept secret, but once we reached Sake, it became clear â” we were together openly. At Bambiro, we stayed together for six months in the same military facility,” he added.
In addition to providing money, weapons, and other resources to FDLR fighters during combat, the DRC also reportedly promised them that once the M23 was defeated, it would support them in overthrowing the Rwandan government.
In March 2024, M23 initially captured several areas surrounding the town of Sake, located in Masisi territory, as well as parts of Goma in Nyiragongo territory.
The fighting intensified as M23 advanced toward Sake, especially since the opposing forces had been reinforced by troops from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and those from the United Nations special force known as the Force Intervention Brigade (FIB).
Ntawiheba disclosed that entering Sake required M23 to fight a brutal battle that claimed many lives among his comrades, with others seriously injured.
'A day I’ll never forget is when we fought in Madimba. It was an intense and violent battle. Where bullets fly, people are bound to die, and injuries are inevitable. To come out of that place without getting wounded or killed is reason enough to thank God,” he revealed
'What gave M23 an advantage over us was their unity. They prepared and executed their operations together, unlike the disorganised approach on our side, where there was no clear structure.”
He added that witnessing people die around him made him reflect and realise they were not fighting for a meaningful cause, but were simply being used as pawns by senior FDLR leaders.
Ntawiheba called on his former comrades still in the forest to make the decision to return home instead of wasting away in the bush, misled by lies spread by fugitives from justice who participated in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
The FDLR could now be disbanded if the DRC government fully commits to the deal signed on Friday between the DRC and Rwanda to neutralise the group.
The agreement was signed in Washington, D.C., with Rwanda and the DRC represented by their respective foreign ministers, Amb. Olivier Nduhungirehe and Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, at a ceremony witnessed by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
President Donald Trump later hosted a follow-up presentation of the signed agreement in the Oval Office, accompanied by Secretary Rubio and Vice President Vance, hailing the occasion as a 'glorious triumph' after 30 years of conflict.
Ntawiheba Ramadhan, born in 1994, spent seven years as a fighter in CRAP, the special forces unit of the FDLR militia group operating in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). He has since defected and returned to Rwanda, where he is now undergoing reintegration training to resume normal life.
Ntawiheba Ramadhan said he was coerced into joining the FDLR militia through persistent harassment by its members.
