Ishasha — These days, the M23 rebels in the eastern DRC province of North Kivu are fighting a war not only against regular Congolese army troops. Armed groups in the north of the territory have formed their new collective enemy. The Mai Mai, as they are known, are ready and waiting - and aggressive.

Sitting on the counter of a hut, which has been turned into a bar, Muhima Shetani plays with a grenade wedged between his legs. Visibly drunk, the Mai Mai leader is very aggressive, himself ready to explode at the slightest annoyance.

Mai Mai is an appellation for local Congolese armed groups who are now fighting to defend their communities.

For some months now, Shetani's militia, the Front Populaire pour la Démocratie (FPD), has been controlling Ishasha. Trucks carrying goods from Uganda and Kenya pass through this border town. Gangs of young men armed with machine guns and spears are posted everywhere along the main road that runs south and towards Goma, the province's capital.

Rwandan invasion?

The FPD are ready and waiting, prepared for the M23, the rebel group created last May and allegedly supported by Rwanda.

"Rwandans want to invade us, but we are going to take revenge," says Shetani vehemently, before pulling out a long knife and tapping it against the bar.

For a few weeks, there have been rumours about an eventual M23 attack against Goma. But so far, the rebels have positioned themselves otherwise. This M23 offensive towards the north of the territory signals the opening of a new front for this group, already engaged in a battle against the Congolese army troops in the south of their stronghold, Rutshuru.

"Free the population"

On 1 October, Nyamilima, being the first town on the new frontline, was captured by the M23. Now the rebels say they are prepared to go to Ishasha to "free the population". The region has experienced an oscillation of control between different armed groups since it was abandoned by the Congolese army since roughly two years ago.

"Sometimes it[those in control] is the FDLR [Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda], and other times it is the Mai Mai militia," says Jeanine Rensaro, a 20-year-old resident. "But it is always us who suffer."

Local authorities are leaving, too. Following the M23's arrival in Nyamilima, 37 police officers took refuge at the base of MONUSCO, the UN contingent in the DRC. They represented the last sign of the presence of the state; other government officials already disappeared a month ago. The situation is similar in Ishasha.

"When we heard that the M23 had reached Nyamilima, everyone fled to Uganda, even the police and local authorities, for fear of an imminent attack by the M23," says Lumesa Kibukila, a customs officer.

Criminality and cholera

So far, no clashes have taken place between the M23 and other armed groups. Nyamilima was captured without a single bullet being fired because members of both the Mai Mai and the FDLR left after the M23 arrived.

But the strong tension in the area gives rise to criminal excesses. A week ago, an unidentified armed group burned five people, a few kilometres away from Ishasha. Cholera is also spreading because it has become almost impossible for NGOs to access the area and help promote good health.

Financial gain

Although all armed groups, including the M23, say they are fighting for the population, the battle for Ishasha probably has a less noble root cause. Border control represents an important financial stake for the armed groups. Trucks coming from the Kenyan coast have no option but to cross the territory to reach Goma - and Ishasha is right on that route. Taxes imposed by rebels can range from 150 to 500 US dollars (about 116 to 386 euros).

Conquering the territory won't be an easy thing for the M23. The area is swarming with FDLR and Mai Mai groups, who have an ability to disappear in order to better charge back.

"We are hidden away, but we are everywhere," says Willy Katembo, a young Mai Mai fighter on a road close to Nyamilima that is supposedly under control of the M23.
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