Nearly 200 killed in inter-community clashes in western DRC

Around 200 people have reportedly died in the inter-community clashes registered during the last days in the province of Mai-Ndombe, located in the west of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), according to sources of the civil society of Kwamouth.

These sources have indicated to the Congolese news portal 7sur7 that the victims include the local leader of the locality of Fadiaka, who would have been beheaded, within the framework of a confrontation between members of the Teke and Yaka communities.

Civil society in the area has appealed to the authorities to deliver aid to the victims and called on the Army to increase its deployment to ensure security in the localities affected by the fighting.

Former Prime Minister Adolphe Muzito went to the area on Monday to analyze the situation on the ground. Numerous localities located in Kwamouth have been left empty after the population fled for fear of new clashes.

Previously, at least 70 people had been killed in such incidents since late July over territorial disputes between the Teke, who are considered the original inhabitants of the banks of the Congo River, and the Yaka, also settled in the area.

Mai-Ndombe was the scene in 2018 of an attempted conflict between the Ntende and Nunu communities that resulted in more than 500 deaths, according to data revealed by the United Nations. Likewise, in 2011, there were clashes between these same communities.