Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (French: Forces armées de la république démocratique du Congo, FARDC) are the national military forces responsible for defending the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The modern Congolese army descends from the Force Publique (1885–1960) of the Congo Free State and Belgian Congo and has undergone multiple reorganizations and name changes since independence, including the Armée nationale congolaise (ANC) following independence, the Forces armées zaïroises (FAZ) during the Zaire period, and the Forces armées congolaises (FAC) under Laurent-Désiré Kabila, before adopting its current designation as the FARDC.

The FARDC was rebuilt in a fragmented and uneven manner following the end of the Second Congo War in July 2003, as part of the broader peace process that sought to integrate former government troops, rebel movements, and militia groups into a unified national army. Its legal foundation was initially established under the Transitional Constitution, notably articles 118 and 188, and later superseded by the 2006 Constitution, particularly articles 187 to 192. The overall framework for national defense and the armed forces was further outlined in Law No. 04/023 of 12 November 2004, and subsequently clarified by Organic Law No. 11-012 of August 2011, which regulates the organization, command, and use of the FARDC. The armed forces is composed predominantly of land forces, alongside a small air force and an even smaller naval component, while the country also maintains a separate presidential force known as the Republican Guard and an independently operating Congolese National Police (PNC), neither of which is formally part of the armed forces. Militarily, the country is divided into three major defense zones encompassing the entire national territory, supported by military regions, bases, and specialized air and naval groupings. Since 2014, these forces have operated under three regional combatant commands corresponding to the western, south-central, and eastern regions of the country.

Since independence, and throughout its successive institutional forms, the Congolese army has been repeatedly engaged in mutinies, rebellions, and secessionist conflicts. These have included the Kwilu rebellion and eastern uprisings of 1964; the mutinies of former Katangese Gendarmerie in Stanleyville; the war of Bukavu involving Jean Schramme's 10th Commando Battalion in 1967; mercenary attacks on Luashi and Kisenge in November 1967 under the command of Bob Denard; the "Eighty Days' War" (quatre-vingt jours) of March–June 1977; the Battle of Kolwezi of May 1978; the conflicts known as Moba I and Moba II; Shaba I and Shaba II; and the First and Second Congo Wars. During the Second Congo War, the United Nations established a peacekeeping presence through Security Council Resolutions 1279 (1999) and 1291 (2000), leading to the creation of the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC), later renamed MONUSCO. The mission was tasked with monitoring the peace process and assisting post-war governments, and until 2023 maintained a force of more than 16,000 peacekeepers in the country, with a primary focus on security in eastern provinces such as North Kivu and South Kivu, as well as support for national reconstruction efforts. The Congolese government, in cooperation with the United Nations, the European Union, and bilateral partners including Angola, South Africa, and Belgium, attempted to create a viable force with the ability to provide the Democratic Republic of Congo with stability and security. However, this process has been hampered by corruption, inadequate donor coordination, and competition between donors.

Foreign armed groups have also operated on Congolese territory for much of the post-independence period. Among the most significant have been the M23, FDLR, ADF, CODECO, Mai-Mai, alongside other groups such as the anti-Ugandan Lord's Resistance Army.