SUMMARY

Bena Kapuya is one of the tribes within the Bena Lulua sub-group of Luba ethnic group of Kasaïs. The group mainly resides in the Bena Kapuya village in the Baluba Lubilanji sector of the Katanda territorire Kasaï Oriental province of the Democratic Republic of Congo. A prominent leader among Bena Kapuya was Trudon Ngoyi Sombayi Nabu.

Bena Kapuya has been involved in the non-state category of UCDP organised violence.

Bena Mwembya also spelled Bena Muembia is one of the tribal communities within the Bena Lubilanji sub-group of the Luba (Baluba) ethnic group, primarily located in the Kasaï Oriental province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The group is traditionally based in the Baluba Lubilanji sector of Katanda Territory, where it shares geographical proximity and historical ties with neighboring communities such as the Bena Nshimba and Bena Kapuya.

As with other sub-groups of the Luba, the Bena Muembia trace their lineage to the legacy of the Luba Empire, which played a central political and cultural role in Central Africa from the 14th to the 19th century. Over time, the Bena Lubilanji communities developed distinct local identities shaped by clan affiliations, customary governance, and territorial claims.

The customary chief of Bena Mwembya was Kazadi Tshiola Félicien. In January 2025, Chief Kazadi Tshiola Félicien, along with the customary chiefs of the Bena Nshimba and Bena Kapuya communities, signed a peace agreement aimed at ending longstanding land disputes and intercommunal violence in the Baluba Lubilanji sector.