Congolese Minister of Foreign Affairs Christophe Lutundula told the media, on October 23, that the ‘Wazalendo’ group was created to strengthen security in collaboration with the population.

"Another important point to note is that the population is present and tells us that they do not feel protected. We will continue to strengthen security in collaboration with the population. This is why there is the 'Wazalendo' phenomenon, and we take good note of it. It is unacceptable to criticize a Congolese for standing up, taking up arms, showing courage and defending the country," said Lutundula.

In November 2022, Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi rallied young Congolese to organize themselves into vigilantee groups, called Wazalendo, to support the country’s security forces in what he called a ‘hefty mission’.

The Congolese leader made the call in response to what he alleged was a Rwandan “aggression” – in reference to claims that Kigali was militarily supporting the M23 rebel movement in DRC's east.

The term Wazalendo means “nationalists or natives”. The Wazalendo phenomenon in context of ongoing conflicts in eastern DRC implies patriots fighting against M23 rebellion that is referred to as “foreigners”.

The narrative of referring to M23 rebels as foreigners is propagated and spread by Kinshasa to emphasize the narrative that the rebel group is made up of foreigners, allegedly Rwandans, and not Congolese citizens.

Irresponsible and incompetent governments, while plotting for mass murder, specifically genocide, historically used the same narrative.

In neighboring Rwanda, the genocidal government created Interahamwe and Impuzamugambi militias, among others, who also called themselves nationalists while persecuting the Tutsi, referring to them as foreigners and enemies of the country.

During World War II (1939–1945), there was Einsatzgruppen, paramilitary death squads of Nazi Germany that were responsible for mass murder in German-occupied Europe. The Einsatzgruppen had an integral role in the implementation of the so-called "Final Solution to the Jewish question," a Nazi plan for the genocide of individuals they defined as Jews during World War II, in territories conquered by Nazi Germany.

“When compatriots [Wazalendo] defend the homeland you cannot say that they are negative forces,” said Congolese Communication Minister Patrick Muyaya.

Who are the Wazalendo defending their homeland from?

Kinshasa has been alleging that the M23 rebellion is made up of foreigners. On many occasions, Congolese government officials were recorded calling upon the general population to attack Kinyarwanda-speaking Congolese, especially Congolese Tutsi.

With Kinshasa justifying Wazalendo attacks against Congolese Tutsi, observers say that this signals another mass murder in the African great lakes region, nearly 30 years after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.

Many calls have been made, warning about a looming genocide against Congolese Tutsi. But nobody is listening to M23’s grievances.

Wazalendo and the Rwandan genocidal militia operating in eastern DRC, FDLR, have been on frontlines persecuting Congolese Tutsi, burning their houses, destroying their properties as well as shooting their cattle.

Pretexts of Wazalendo being “auto-defense civile” by Tshisekedi are illogical.

The same plot was used by Juvénal Habyarimana when he was planning the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.

While regional leaders have urged Tshisekedi to solve conflicts in eastern DRC through political dialogue with concerned parties, he insists on a military solution which has brought no positive achievement in the past.