Inter-ethnic clashes between Batende and Banunu in late 2018 in Mai Ndombe province had left hundreds dead and tens of thousands of refugees left for neighboring Congo-Brazzaville. The violence had also caused the cancellation of the presidential and legislative elections in this part of the country.
as reported from Kinshasa, Kamanda Wa Kamanda
According to NGOs on human rights,these clashes left more than 500 dead. For its part, the UN had estimated the number of victims at more than 800. More or less 17,000 people had taken refuge in Congo-Brazzaville, and according to our sources, there are still 11,000 on the other side of the Congo River.
This Tuesday, in front of the High Military Court in Kinshasa, 62 defendants, detained at the military prison in Ndolo, will be in the defendants’ box. They were stopped in waves within Yumbi’s territory and transported to Kinshasa.
It is the funeral of the traditional chief Mantoma of Banunu, in the middle of the territory by Yumbi, who had angered their rivals Batende. For Batende, Banunu are foreigners from the former province of Equateur, so they could not afford the luxury of burying their leader in the center of the territory.
The public intervened. However, according to reports from non-governmental human rights, the authorities in Mai Ndombe province at the time were responsible for omitting that they had not prevented the massacre.
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