SUMMARY
The Hunde are an ethnic group that mainly resides in the Nord Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaire). The most recent population count of the Hunde was performed in 1980 and at that time the ethnicity had around 200 000 members. Until the 1930s the Hunde were mainly hunters and gathers who lived in the mountainous areas of Nord Kivu, which was at the time still covered in forests, under populated and full of wild animals. The Hunde enjoyed vast land resources and their spatial mobility was frequent. On occasions the Hunde practiced farming, yet in a small scale.
When the Belgian colonial administration intervened, Hunde’s land resources were significantly reduced. This meant that the Hunde could not continue their hunting and gathering, which was their normal method of sustaining themselves, but they were forced to become farmers. Yet, the Hunde did not have access to land resources, since the Belgian colonisers occupied all land available. At points, the colonisers removed Hunde settlers from their land in order to free it for the Rwandan immigrants that the colonial regime brought into the area as cheap labour. The Hutu and Tutsi from Rwanda were considered better workers than the Hunde and Twa that originally populated the area. These acts of removing Hunde from their land formed the basis of the conflict between the Hunde and Hutu.
Hunde’s leadership is mainly dominated by traditional structures. The Chief is the most important leader of an area. However, in the time before decolonisation Chiefs were often appointed by the colonial regime, undermining their authority. The Hunde also organised themselves in political structures. They controlled many of the provincial and regional posts in the government after independence.
Before the National Conference, aimed at democratising then Zaire, Hunde organised themselves into ethnically based organisations (mutualites) as most other ethnic groups did: The Hunde was organised in BUSHENGE HUNDE, GEAD and together with Nyanga and Tembo in ACUBA. During the conflict against Banyarwanda Hunde formed Mayi Mayi militias, Hunde Mayi Mayi has been known as Batiri, Kifufa and Akilimali Mayi Mayi and in more recent years APCLS.
The Hunde have been involved in the non-state category of UCDP organised violence.
