On the hills above Lulingu, a remote town in the South Kivu province, Raia Mutomboki fighters conduct drills. This particular faction had gained widespread support from ordinary citizens, making it unique in comparison to other armed groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
A traditional ceremony takes place outside the home of Lulingu’s King Asani Keka Mbezi, one of the Lega people, whose remote location in the eastern jungles allowed their traditions to survive the Belgian occupation.
Mari, here 18 years old, joined the RM as a soldier when she was 16. She and her husband, a fellow soldier, have a son together.
Decaying Belgian colonial-era structures speak to the area’s history of mining, and to Congo’s struggles with outsiders who vied for its riches.
RM fighters gather, wearing leaves for camouflage, after patrolling Lulingu’s surrounding areas.
A child sits on a piece of old mining equipment in a colonial building that, though now a primary school, once served as a jail for the Congolese army.
Villagers and family members mourn at the funeral of a seven-year-old boy, Damas, who was murdered.
Henriette Useni Kabake, Lulingu's government administrator, hosts a town meeting alongside traditional and Raia Mutomboki leaders inside a decayed building from the Belgian colonial era.
Major Bamwizio Kilumbalumba Wamenya sits with his child, outside his home.
Migrants from the Bashi tribe of Bukavu region provide labor for the mines in RM territory. The Lega tribe, which make up the RM, are able to play supervisory roles due to their unique technical knowledge on the mining industry gained from laboring under the Belgian colonial enterprises of the past.
Graffiti on the walls of the home of Henriette Useni Kabake, Lulingu's government Administrator, testify to a time when FARDC soldiers forcefully occupied her home for over a year, throwing out her children.
Decaying Belgian colonial era structures speak to the area’s history of mining, and to Congo’s struggles with outsiders who vied for its riches.
Widow Madelaine Kapinga stands outside of her makeshift home in a part of Lulingu town occupied by people displaced by the conflict. Her story is not an uncommon one in the area, where most have lost family in massacres committed by the Interahamwe or in subsequent fighting with the FARDC.
Major Bamwizio Kilumbalumba Wamenya begins his day with a traditional meditation and cleansing ritual outside his home.