Popular Forces of Burundi

The Popular Forces of Burundi (French: Forces populaires du Burundi, known by the acronym FPB) is a Burundian rebel militia, active in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Founded in 2015, the group opposes the government of Pierre Nkurunziza. It was previously known as the Republican Forces of Burundi (Forces républicaines du Burundi, or Forebu).

Forebu was founded in December 2015, following a failed military coup against Nkurunziza's government in May 2015 and a subsequent period of unrest. The group recruited members from the ex-soldiers purged from the Burundian Army in the aftermath of the coup, many of whom had fled into the eastern Congo. Some recruits also came from the Lusenda refugee camp.[1] The majority of members come from the Tutsi ethnic group, though a significant minority are Hutu.[1] Since its creation, Forebu has been led by Jérémie Ntiranyibagira, with Edouard Nshimirimana responsible for the group's administration.[1] It is known to have been active in Fizi and Uvira territories in the Congolese province of South Kivu, near the Burundian border.[2]

Forebu has previously collaborated with another Burundian rebel faction, Resistance for Rule of Law in Burundi (RED-Tabara) and many of the group's members have subsequently defected to Forebu.[1][2] It has also been alleged that Forebu has received support from the Congolese government of Joseph Kabila and, possibly, from Rwanda.[1] In August 2017, Forebu announced its change of name as part of a wider re-organisation.[2] It was reported in 2019 that the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) had launched an offensive against Burundian militias from the FPB and National Forces of Liberation (FNL) near Uvira.[3]