Inter-ethnic Clashes In Congo Killed 40 People Over The Week
JAKARTA - More than 40 people have died over the past week in connection with rising violence between the two warring ethnic groups in the western Democratic Republic of Congo.
This bloodshed is one of the most significant for ethnic Teke and Yaka since brokering a peace agreement in April that is meant to ease tensions over land tax disputes that have killed hundreds of people and displaced thousands since 2022.
On Friday, soldiers were ambushed in Kwango province by a Yaka militia named Mobondo, which led to the deaths of 21 militia members and two soldiers, a military spokesman, Antony Mualushayi, told Reuters on Wednesday, December 11.
The fighting sparked a wave of communal violence in a wider area that included the burning of 12 civilians to death in the village.
Most women and children, Mualushayi said in a separate statement.
They locked the victims in a house and then burned them down, Guy Mostomo, a member of parliament from the electoral district, told Reuters.
Eight other Mobondo fighters were killed in the clashes.
Pertikaian terus terjadi karena beberapa pemimpin adat menentang perjanjian yang dibuat pada April, dan mengatakan bahwa perjanjian tersebut tidak inklusif.
Representatives from two communities in the Kinshasa capital are also trying to spark tensions, Mualushayi said.
"They want more negotiations, and because the government is taking a slow step, others prefer to launch attacks to force the Congo government to accept their demands," he said.