How the FDLR plans to avoid military defeat

Recent field research explored the FDLR's survival tactics in the face of external military pressure.

Faced with the threat of an international military operation to forcibly disarm them, the Rwandan Hutu rebel group, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), has spent the last year adopting new strategies to avoid military defeat.

Recent ISS field research indicates that the group has attempted to camouflage its military identity in the hope of blending into the civilian population and confusing the attacking forces.

The FDLR has also been storing weapons, and the rank and file have moved to remote locations to avoid detection once operations are launched.

The seminar will explore some of the survival tactics that the FDLR has adopted in order to counter external military pressure.

Chair: Stephanie Wolters, Head, Conflict Prevention and Risk Analysis division, ISS

Speaker: Dr Nelson Alusala, ISS consultant

Development partners
This seminar is made possible with funding from the government of Netherlands. The ISS is grateful for support from the members of the ISS Partnership Forum: the governments of Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the USA.
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