At least 72 individuals lost their lives in an attack on a village in western Congo, as stated by local authorities. The victims included nine soldiers and a soldier’s wife. The incident occurred in Kinsele, located approximately 100 kilometers east of the capital, Kinshasa. This region faces challenges such as insecurity and inadequate infrastructure, often resulting in delayed reporting of such attacks. Kinsele is situated in the Kwamouth territory, where clashes between the Teke and Yaka communities have caused numerous civilian casualties over the past two years.
The assailants identified themselves as members of the Mobondo militia, aligning with the Yaka people. Efforts to locate additional casualties in the surrounding areas are ongoing, according to David Bisaka, the provincial deputy of Kwamouth territory. The army successfully repelled the militia for the second time within a week following the recent attack. Stanys Liby, the head of a nearby village, confirmed the death toll, noting the loss of nine soldiers and a soldier’s wife.
The conflict in the Kwamouth territory, fueled by disputes over land and customary rights, began in June 2022 between indigenous and non-indigenous communities. Tensions escalated between the Teke, long-standing residents of the area, and farmers from different ethnic backgrounds, including the Yaka group, who settled near the Congo River more recently. Despite a ceasefire agreement in April 2024 in the presence of President Felix Tshisekedi, clashes have persisted and grown more intense in recent weeks.
Congo’s Defense Minister, Guy Kabombo Muadiamvita, visited the Kwango province, where the village came under attack, to assess the situation on the ground. The province serves as the last security buffer before reaching Kinshasa. The minister pledged to exert every effort to combat the militia, as mentioned by the Ministry of Defense on social media. In addition to the conflict in the west, Congo also faces challenges in controlling widespread violence in the eastern region, where government forces have been in conflict with over 120 armed groups for many years. This struggle for control often revolves around the region’s rich natural resources, like gold.
In the eastern region, violence has escalated in recent months, exemplified by a recent militia attack on a gold mine that resulted in the deaths of six Chinese miners and two Congolese soldiers.
72 individuals dead in militia assault near Congo’s capital amid land dispute conflict
