SUMMARY
The conflict between the Teke and Yaka ethnic groups began in June 2022 and lasted until March 2023. It took place on the Bateke Plateau (“Plateau of the Teke people”), which extends across several provinces in the western Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The conflict was rooted in tax disputes between the groups but evolved into a land issue, eventually leading to the creation of the Mobondo militia.
In the 1970s, communities from the Kwango and Kwilu provinces migrated to the fertile Teke territories, paying customary taxes to Teke chiefs in exchange for the right to farm the land. These communities were mainly composed of members of the Yaka ethnic group, but also included other non-native groups such as the Suku, Mbala, and Songe. The Teke and the non-native communities coexisted harmoniously for decades. However, the customary tax became increasingly burdensome, and its collection was enforced with the assistance of the DRC’s police and military. Tensions escalated in 2021, when the Yaka circulated a forged letter that falsely exempted them from paying taxes. The situation culminated in violence on the 9 June 2022, when a Kwilu farmer was shot by the brother of a Teke chief during a Yaka-led protest. The brother had allegedly fired in response to protesters throwing at his house In response, Yaka farmers set villages on fire, displaced residents and claimed the abandoned settlements as Yaka land.
What began as a tax dispute evolved into a land conflict. The Yaka complained that Teke landowners had been selling farmland to wealthy investors, and allegedly incited other non-native communities to claim that Kwamouth territory had originally belonged to the Yaka. A Teke chief alleged that the Yaka king, Kiamvu Odon, sought to annihilate Teke communities in order to rename the Bateke Plateau the ‘Lunda Plateau’, symbolically reviving the ancient Lunda Kingdom to which the Yaka trace their origins.
The violence intensified and spread as more non-Teke farmers organized and armed themselves, targeting Teke villages, particularly along the national road RN17. Both sides launched attacks, and incidents of violence became increasingly frequent. The creation and involvement of the Yaka-affiliated Mobondo militia further escalated insecurity in the area, and suppressed the initial Teke-led violence. The violence spilled into the neighboring provinces of Kwango, Kwilu, Kongo Central and Kinshasa, threatening to engulf the capital city, which is home to members of both communities.
A joint commission was established in 2024 to negotiate a resolution. Traditional chiefs and notables from both the Teke and Yaka communities gathered to propose paths toward reconciliation. The Yaka called for the withdrawal of military and police from their areas, as well as the release of their detained members. The Teke proposed the creation of an ad hoc commission to organize public trials, facilitate the return of Téké chiefs and their communities to their land, and oversee the disarmament of the Mobondo militia. Both sides requested compensation for victims and the performance of ancestral ceremonies, such as land purification. These negotiations culminated in a customary peace agreement. According to the UCDP database, the last instance of violence in the Teke-Yaka conflict occurred in mid-2023. Since then, reconciliation efforts and implementation of the peace agreement have been inconsistent. Economic and political interests have kept tensions high, while the continued presence of the Mobondo militia has hindered reconciliation, as both communities have largely remained armed and mobilized.
In the early stages of the conflict, both groups employed tactics such as setting up checkpoints to identify and target members of rival communities, and looting houses and shops. However, as the conflict escalated, the Teke were overpowered. The Yaka intensified the violence by setting villages on fire, looting and selling stolen goods to purchase ammunition, carrying out beheadings, destroying schools and medical centers, committing sexual violence, kidnapping for ransom, and engaging in torture. Initially, the Yaka arsenal consisted of machetes and 12-caliber hunting rifles, but with the rise of the Mobondo militia, the use of AK-type assault rifles, PKM machine guns, and grenade launchers became more frequent.
Both Yaka and Suku communities believed that rituals and the powers of fetishes made them stronger, invisible, and invincible to their enemies. In June 2022, the Suku “Kakuungu” Mask was returned to the DRC by the Kingdom of Belgium. The mask, said to have been designed for war, was historically used when the ancient Suku king, or Mini-Kongo, resisted colonization. The current Mini-Kongo, believed to be a descendant of the kings who ruled the ancient Kingdom of Kongo, participated in the ceremonial Suku Mask visit in August 2022. With the return of the Suku mask, social cohesion among the Suku increased, and many believed their powers had been restored. This return coincided with the rise in violence between Teke and Yaka communities.
The non-state conflict between the Teke and Yaka was first included in UCDP data in June 2022. In August of that year fighting between the groups resulted in more than 25 battle-related deaths.
