Nsengimana, a former member of Rwanda’s defeated government forces (Ex-FAR), fled to what was then Zaire after the Rwanda Patriotic Army (RPA-Inkotanyi) stopped the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

He said some FDLR commanders arranged for women and girls to be handed over to Mai Mai leaders and FARDC soldiers to strengthen alliances, gain favour and obtain intelligence.

“Some girls were sold by certain FDLR leaders or handed over to Mai Mai leaders and FARDC soldiers to win their favour and obtain information from them,” he said.

Nsengimana said individuals seeking women would approach FDLR commanders, who demanded money to arrange the encounters. He cited payments ranging from $1,000 to $5,000.

Clashes between FDLR and Mai Mai fighters

Nsengimana also recounted fighting between the FDLR and Mai Mai groups in 2011, which he said followed allegations that FDLR fighters had looted property and killed members of Mai Mai families.

According to him, Mai Mai fighters from North and South Kivu joined forces to drive out the FDLR, but the fighting also led to reprisals against Rwandan women and children.

He said the Mai Mai fighters targeted Rwandan women living with FDLR members, regardless of whether they had children together, and also killed their children.

“Rwandan women were killed in extremely brutal ways by the Mai Mai during that period,” he said.

He also recalled attacks he said were carried out by FARDC soldiers in 2010 in Mwima, eastern DRC, during which women and girls were subjected to severe abuse, with some reportedly dying as a result.

Why he left the FDLR

Nsengimana was among the group's early members and held several leadership positions over the years. He commanded battalions in the ALiR and FDLR for 12 years and later served as deputy head of the FDLR's brigade reserve.

By the time he left in 2015, he was an adviser on security and military affairs within the group's leadership.

He said his decision to leave was partly influenced by difficulties his wife faced in 2010 after giving birth and requiring specialised medical care that was unavailable where they lived in the DRC. She sought permission to travel to Rwanda for treatment.

In 2014, she returned to the DRC to visit him before the couple travelled back to Rwanda together.

Nsengimana said the move raised suspicions among FDLR leaders, who feared he might betray the group because his wife was in Rwanda. He subsequently came under surveillance by people he described as FDLR intelligence operatives.

With assistance from the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the DRC, MONUSCO, he returned to Rwanda in 2015 and was admitted to the Mutobo demobilisation centre in Musanze District for reintegration training.

Six months after leaving the centre, he secured employment at a Rwanda Energy Group (REG) facility in Rubavu District through cooperation between the company and the Ministry of Defence.

Nsengimana urged FDLR leaders to surrender their weapons and return to Rwanda, arguing that their military campaign had little chance of success.

He also appealed to younger fighters to reconsider their involvement, saying some commanders had families living comfortably abroad while their subordinates remained in the forests.

He urged them to abandon the armed struggle, return home and contribute to Rwanda's development.