Ethnic tensions between the Lendu and Hema were a major cause of the Ituri conflict (1999-2003), which led to the collapse of state control in the region and genocidal violence. This was partly due to the democratization of Mobutu's regime, which allowed the Lendu elite to emerge before it collapsed completely during the First Congo War (1996-97). However, the Rwandan genocide was also significant because the division between Tutsis and Hutus was widely projected onto the Hema and Lendu by both sides. During the Second Congo War, the Hema were widely believed to have collaborated with the Ugandan occupiers, and the conflict in Ituri was triggered by the establishment of a Hema provincial governor in Ituri by the Ugandan military. Ethnic militias were formed and UN and European Union peacekeepers were deployed. As a result of the conflict, the Hema-backed Union of Congolese Patriots (Union des Patriotes congolais, UPC) fought the Lendu-backed Nationalist and Integrationist Front (Front des Nationalistes et Intégrationnistes, FNI) and various smaller groups. Sporadic fighting has continued since 1999. Uganda was also involved in the fighting, which was exacerbated by the presence of significant gold deposits in Ituri.