SUMMARY
The Bahemba, also known as Hemba, Luba-Hemba, Eastern Hemba or Eastern Luba, were a Bantu-speaking community living mainly in eastern and south-eastern DR Congo (Zaire). They spoke Hemba and were closely related to the Luba, often being described as part of the wider Luba cultural and linguistic complex. In DR Congo (Zaire), they were associated with areas west of Lake Tanganyika, south of the central rainforest and along the plains, hills and marshes of the Lualaba River, with some sources also referring to related populations near the DR Congo (Zaire)-Zambia border around Lake Mweru and the Luapula valley. The Hemba population was estimated at in DR Congo (Zaire) at around 413 000.
The Bahemba were primarily agriculturalists. Their main crops included maize, millet, peanuts, yams and cotton, supplemented by hunting, fishing and labour migration, including work in mining areas such as the Copperbelt. Poor soil quality had historically encouraged periodic village relocation, but fertilizers and crop rotation later allowed more sedentary settlement. The Bahemba were also known for wood-carved ancestral figures and other artistic traditions, which have received attention in ethnographic and art-historical literature.
Bahemba interests and local organization were articulated mainly through clan structures and customary chiefs. Their society was matrilineal, and clan chiefs exercised authority over land, communal affairs and dispute settlement. These chiefs, known under titles such as Mulopwe wa Bantu, meaning “the people’s chief”, headed extended landholding families and acted as local judges. Ancestor figures, shrines, diviners and secret societies also formed part of Bahemba social and ritual authority.
The Bahemba’s conflict involvement was linked to broader tensions between Bantu-speaking communities and Pygmy communities in Tanganyika province. In this context, Bambuti communities viewed the Bahemba and other Bantu-speaking neighbours as part of a dominant local majority that controlled access to farmland, forests and local institutions. The Bambuti depended heavily on forest resources, while much of the forest they considered traditional territory had come under the control of Bahemba and other Bantu-speaking communities.
In 2016, Bahemba communities became involved in non-state violence against the Bambuti in Tanganyika province. The conflict was rooted in the Bambuti’s sense of being threatened, despised and dispossessed by neighbouring Bantu-speaking communities, as well as disputes over control of forests and access to resources.
There were no clear links between the Bahemba community and more organized armed groups.
The Bahemba have been involved in the non-state category of UCDP organised violence.
