Kasaï-Central clashes (2016–present)
| Kasaï-Central clashes (2016–present) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
_-_Kasa%C3%AF-Central.svg) Location of Kasaï-Central in the Democratic Republic of the Congo |
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| Belligerents | |||||
| Kamwina Nsapu militia | |||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||
| 128+ killed 185+ captured |
29+ killed Several wounded |
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| 7+ civilians killed 164+ killed in total |
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Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Kasaï-Central clashes are a series of ongoing clashes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in the provinces of Kasaï-Central, Kasaï and Kasai-Oriental, between the Kamwina Nsapu militia and state security forces. The fighting began after the militia led by Kamwina Nsapu attacked security forces in August 2016.
In June 2016, Kamwina Nsapu, born Jean-Pierre Pandi, a local militia leader who had inherited the chiefdown from his late father, contested the central government's power and began calling for an insurrection and attacked local police. Most of the people who constitute the tribe are from the Luba people. On 12 August 2016, he was killed alongside eight other militiamen and 11 policemen in Tshimbulu. Upon his death, the Congolese Observatory for Human Rights condemned his killing and suggested he should have been arrested instead.
Half the militia is under the age of 14, and the Congolese authorities claim they are on drugs.The New York Times reports they may believe in "traditional magic", like being shielded by wearing specific leaves.
In September 2016, Nsapu's militia captured an area 180km from Kananga, and later captured the Kananga Airport before it was retaken by the armed forces of the DRC. On 26 September 2016, the government announced that in total, 49 people have been killed (27 militiamen, 16 policemen and 6 civilians) and 185 militiamen have been captured since the fighting began.
In January 2017, four militia fighters were killed, while two policemen were wounded. A few days later, they called for the removal of the governor, Alex Kande, and protested against the visit of Prime Minister Samy Badibanga.
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Wikipedia