William Yakutumba

At the end of the Second Congo War, many Mai-Mai leaders felt marginalized, believing they had not gained political and military representation they deserved for their role in the war. During this time, the government was attempting to demobilize Mai-Mai groups and integrate them into the national army. In 2007, the FARDC sent trucks to finish the integration of the 118th Brigade, the Mai-Mai unit under Yakutumba's command. Yakutumba and a small group of loyalist fighters fled to the Ubwari Peninsula, where they established Mai-Mai Réformé.[2] This prompted the government to try and negotiate with Yakutumba, who stated he would integrate into the armed forces if Banyamulenge units did so first. It was at this time that Yakutumba began to refer to himself as "General".

In September 2007, Yakutumba and his political deputy, Raphael Looba Undji, visited Kinshasa at the invitation of then-president Joseph Kabila.[2] They spent around six months in the city, where they established political contacts. Following the visit, Yakutumba established the Party of Action for the Reconstruction of Congo (PARC), the political wing of his group.

During the period of 2009–2010, Yakutumba used his forces to pressure politicians and the armed forces into supporting his goals. During this time, he also feigned disarmament, which he would use to regroup and strengthen his militia more. Yakutumba also had entered a relationship with the National Forces of Liberation, a dissident Burundian rebel faction.[4] This relationship allowed Yakutumba's forces access to more advanced training and weaponry.[2] In 2011, he merged his political wing, the PARC, with his new armed wing, the Alleluia Armed Forces (FAAL), forming the PARC-FAAL, better known as Mai-Mai Yakutumba.

This new development caused Yakutumba to shift his rhetoric to a national scale, claiming Joseph Kabila was an agent of Rwanda.[4] As the years went on, however, Mai-Mai Yakutumba fell out of political relevance, content with taxing roads, fishing, and gold mining in areas under the group's influence.[1] Yakutumba, by 2014, no longer had the military prowess or political clout he had in the years before.

In late 2016 to early 2017, Yakutumba re-emerged, leading a wide coalition of Mai-Mai groups calling itself the National Coalition of the People for the Sovereignty of Congo (CNPSC).[5] The new coalition launched two major offensives in South Kivu in 2017 and 2018, even coming close to capturing Uvira city.[6] Yakutumba stated that he intended to overthrow the government to "chase the dictator Kabila from power".[3] Yakutumba claims to have around 10,000 troops under his command, but analysts disagree, stating he has close to 1,000.[7]

Currently, the coalition is engaged in fighting mainly against the Banyamulenge-led Ngumino and Twiganeho militias. In a recent video statement, Yakutumba re-affirmed the coalition's goals, as well as denounced alleged invasions of the country by Rwandophone groups.[8]