SUMMARY
The Bana Mura militias were created between March-April 2017 in Kamonia territory in Kasaï province in reaction to attacks by the Kamuina Nsapu militia. The Bana Mura militias were predominantly composed of people from the Chokwe (also known as Chowe, Chow, Tchokwe, Jokwe, Kioko, Bajokwe and Kibokwe), but also the Pende and Tetela ethnic groups and was pro-Kabila. The Kamuina Nsapu militiamen were predominantly from the Baluba (also known as Luba) ethnic group and were anti-Kabila. Although the Bana Mura may have formed in response to attacks from the Kamuina Nsapu militia, it quickly oriented its attacks against Baluba civilians instead, with overt support from state defense forces.
While the conflict had a strong ethnic dimension, the wider political context was highly relevant. The Kasaï region was a stronghold of opposition towards Joseph Kabila, who was the president in 2017. The well-known opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi (died 1 February 2017) came from Kasaï Central province and was ethnically Baluba. In 2015 the administrative divisions in the DR Congo were changed, from 11 provinces to 26. This was seen by many as a tactic of the Kabila government to weaken its political opponents. After this change a majority of the new positions as local administrators in Kasaï were given to people from the Chokwe ethnic group, making them pro-Kabila in a predominantly anti-Kabila region.
The Kamuina Nsapu militia was created in response to the central government’s refusal to recognize the traditional appointment of Jean-Pierre Mpandi as Kamuina Nsapu (title for the chief in the Bajila Kasanga groupement) and revolted against the Kabila government in Kasaï Central province. Violence spread from Kasaï Central province to the wider Kasaï region and led to the development of the Bana Mura militias in the Kamonia territory in Kasaï province in response to attacks from the Kamuina Nsapu militia. Eventually members of Baluba communities were accused of being supporters of the Kamuina Nsapu militia and the Bana Mura expanded their activities from just targeting the Kamuina Nsapu militia to leading murderous attacks against the Baluba civilian populations, often in cooperation with state security and defense forces. They also targeted other populations suspected of supporting the Kamuina Nsapu militia, such as the Bindi population.
Armed with sticks, machetes and hunting rifles the Bana Mura conducted massacres in villages. The militias appear to have cooperated with state agents from their inception, and FARDC soldiers accompanied by local officials were seen leading groups of Bana Mura militiamen during attacks. Together they locked people in their homes before setting them on fire. The Bana Mura militias killed Baluba people indiscriminately, and also employed extensive mutilation and sexual violence. The Bana Mura militias appeared to undertake a campaign to eliminate the entire Baluba and Lulua populations in the villages they attacked. Evidence supporting this goal is that the attacks appear premeditated with planning meetings having taken place between local officials and Bana Mura militiamen, as well as attempts to separate the Baluba communities from the rest of the population. For example, in the village of Cinq (also spelled Singe) non-Baluba residents were told to leave areas by local officials before attacks took place. Barriers were erected on the roads outside villages to prevent the Baluba from escaping, while people who spoke Chokwe could pass through. The authorities did not intervene to protect citizens when the killings started, nor has there been much accountability after the events despite some trials and arrests.
The Bana Mura first became active as a one-sided actor in UCDP data in 2017, when the one-sided violence resulted in over 25 civilian deaths. The threshold was reached in March 2017 when Bana Mura militiamen massacred 30 civilians in Kamako village.
