DRC Armed Groups & PMCs

DRC Armed Groups & PMCs: an OSINT knowledge base

4 min read

By Darkwater Research · as of 3 Nov 2026

What this is

A linked knowledge base of the rebels, Wazalendo militias, foreign armed groups, jihadists, community militias, private military companies, state forces and coalitions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, mainly the east (North and South Kivu, Ituri, Tanganyika, Maniema) plus Katanga, Kasai and the Kwamouth crisis, with key events, peace processes and a graded note on every monitored source: 72 linked notes in all. Each note links to the actors, regions and events it relates to; the graph view shows the network.

Start here: 01 Situation Report (latest developments) · 02 Source Grading Method.

Method in brief

  • Compiled from open sources only: wire services, Congolese, Rwandan and Burundian media, UN and NGO reporting, think tanks and conflict datasets (ACLED, the Kivu Security Tracker, IPIS, Critical Threats), official statements, and public X accounts from every side.
  • Monitored accounts are graded with a published rubric and spot-checked against independent reporting; the checks are listed in each source note under Sources.
  • Account claims are corroborated where possible and always carry their tag, so a reader can see where each claim came from and how far to trust it.

How to read the claim tags

Claims from monitored accounts end with a tag such as (F3, Steve Wembi (X), x.com/wembi_steve/status/…, 30 Oct 2026):

  • Letter = the source’s Admiralty reliability grade, A (most reliable) to E, or F when it cannot be judged.
  • Digit = the credibility of that specific claim: 1 confirmed, 2 probably true, 3 possibly true, 4 doubtful, 5 improbable, 6 cannot be judged.
  • Then the source note, the post and the post date.

The full rubric and every grade are in 02 Source Grading Method.

Caveats

  • Many actors, fast-changing alliances. The Kivu Security Tracker counts 100+ armed groups in eastern DRC, many tiny and shifting. This covers the main ones.
  • Party claims. Kinshasa, Kigali, the FRN/M23 and the Wazalendo all run information operations; Congolese and Rwandan media often take sides. Claims are attributed to whoever made them.
  • Unverified figures. Most casualty and defection numbers are single-source or party claims. The confidence field marks less certain entries.

Independent, unpaid research. Not legal, security or investment advice. Corrections welcome.

Contact: gnorwood@darkwater-research.com

Index

All notes by type. Each tag in the legend at the bottom opens a list of that type.

Anti-government rebels

Wazalendo (pro-government)

Foreign rebel groups

Jihadist

Community & ethnic militias

PMCs & Contractors

State Actors

Coalitions

Regions

Peace Processes

Key Events

Sources

Legend (graph colours)

Built in Obsidian; published with Quartz.

Graph View