Mai-Mai

Groups that fall under the umbrella term "Mai-Mai" include armed forces led by warlords, traditional tribal elders, village heads and politically motivated resistance fighters.

The term Mai-Mai refers not to any particular movement, affiliation or political objective but to a broad variety of groups.

While militias have long been common in the Kivus, particularly among the minority Batembo and Babembe ethnic groups, the recent wars and conflicts caused large numbers of town dwellers to form Mai-Mai.

He was found guilty of numerous war crimes between October 2003 and May 2006 and was sentenced to death by the Kipushi Military Tribunal in Katanga Province on 6 March 2009.

Province Orientale also hosts a number of Mai-Mai, but these groups were apparently involved in long-standing ethnic disputes.

[4] Sheka claims the group was formed to liberate the mines of Walikale Territory in North Kivu.

[6] In June 2023, seven Virunga Park Rangers were killed by local Mai-Mai in the span of ten days.