The Union of Congolese Patriots (French: Union des Patriotes congolais, or UPC) is a political and militia group in Ituri, northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, formed towards the end of the Second Congo War. It was founded by Thomas Lubanga in 2001[1] and was one of six such groups that sprung up in the mineral-rich Ituri region on the border with Uganda in the Ituri conflict.[2] The UPC supported and was primarily composed of the Hema ethnic group.[3]