List of massacres in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Last updated

This is a list of all massacres in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Contents

List

NameDateFatalitiesNotes
Belgian Mission - Congo Genocide 1890 to 191010/15 Millions DeathsBy King Leopold II, the constitutional monarch of Belgium against African Congolese people. In the 19th century, Leopold II, tried to persuade the governance to colonize certain areas of Africa. Under the pretext of humanitarian purposes, he managed to legally own the Kongo Kingdom. The new name given to the colonized Kongo Kingdom was Congo Free State [1]
Hema massacre of 1911 4 December 1911200+By Lendu people against Hema people [2]
Elisabethville Massacre December 194130-70
Léopoldville riots January 195949+
Massacre at Luluabourg October 1959300+By Lulua people against Baluba people in Luluabourg [3]
Luluabourg massacre (1961) 27-28 February, 196144 The New York Times reported that 44 civilians had been killed by government forces in revenge for the killing of three soldiers by rioters. [4]
Port Francqui incident April 28, 1961 (1961-April-28)47 [5]
Kindu atrocity 11 or 12 November 196113Murders of 13 Italian airmen by soldiers during the Congo Crisis.
November 19648+Four Protestant missionaries, four Spanish nuns, and an unknown number of Catholic priests were brutally murdered by Communist rebels during the Simba rebellion. [6]
Battle of Kolwezi 18–22 May 1978HundredsThe Congolese National Liberation Front massacred hundreds of White European civilians during Shaba II, mostly Belgians. [7] [8]
Luamwela massacre 5 July 197950Killing of 50 miners by the Congolese army and the Societé Minière de Bakwanga. [9]
Katelakayi massacre July 19, 1979 (1979-07-19)140-200Killing of at least 140 miners by the Congolese army and the Societé Minière de Bakwanga. Some reports said that over 200 miners had died. [9]
20 March to July 199314,000Initially starting in the town of Mtutu, as an anti-Banyarwanda massacre by Hunde and Nyanga people, Banyarwanda fought back, starting an ethnic conflict that killed 14,000 people. [10]
Mokoto monastery massacre May 12, 1996 (1996-05-12)750750 Tutsi refugees hiding in a monastery were slaughtered by Hutu forces. [11] [10] [12]
Massacres of Hutus during the First Congo War 1996-1997Thousands
Lemera massacre October 6, 19963737 individuals, including FAZ (Forces Armées Zaïroises) soldiers, nurses, patients, and Zairean civilians who were in the vicinity of the Lemera hospital, were killed by the forces of the Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo (AFDL).
Musekera massacreOctober 20, 1996 (1996-10-20)300Three hundred Hutu civilians were bludgeoned to death by Rwandan soldiers. [13]
Butembo massacre From February 20 to April300-600Reprisals for Mayi Mayi attacks by Congolese Armed Forces [14]
Kasika massacre September 5, 1998 (1998-09-05)1,000+Massacre of Nyindu during the Second Congo War. The figure of 1,000 was estimated by the United Nations Mapping Report. The massacre was actually a series of massacres that began with the killing of 36 Nyindu civilians inside a Catholic church by Rwanda, Ugandan, or Banyamulenge forces. [15]
Makobola massacre From December 30, 1998, to January 2, 1999800+The forces of the Rally for Congolese Democracy (Rassemblement Congolais pour la Démocratie; RCD) perpetrated a massacre, resulting in the death of over 800 civilians, predominantly from the Bembe community.
Kisangani massacre 13-15 May 2002183
Kiwanja massacre 4-5 November 2008150Perpetrated by the National Congress for the Defence of the People [16] [17]
2008 Christmas massacres 24-27 December 2008620-860+Attack by the Christian terrorist Lord's Resistance Army
Makombo massacre 14-17 December 2009321-345Attack by the Christian terrorist Lord's Resistance Army
Masisi massacre 201470+ [18]
2014 Mutarule attack June 6, 2014 (2014-06-06)35
Beni massacre August 14, 2016 (2016-08-14)101
Kipupu massacre July 16, 2020 (2020-07-16)18-220 [19]
Drodro massacre November 21, 2021 (2021-11-21)44
Plaine Savo massacre February 2, 2022 (2022-02-02)60
Otomabere massacre June 5, 2022 (2022-06-05)18-27Suspected Allied Democratic Forces attacked Otomabere in Irumu Territory, Ituri Province.
Kishishe massacre 29 November - 1 December 2022131-300+

Related Research Articles

The earliest known human settlements in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo have been dated back to the Middle Stone Age, approximately 90,000 years ago. The first real states, such as the Kongo, the Lunda, the Luba and Kuba, appeared south of the equatorial forest on the savannah from the 14th century onwards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laurent-Désiré Kabila</span> President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 1997–2001

Laurent-Désiré Kabila usually known as Laurent Kabila, was a Congolese rebel and politician who served as the third president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1997 until his assassination in 2001.

Human occupation of Rwanda is thought to have begun shortly after the last ice age. By the 11th century, the inhabitants had organized into a number of kingdoms. In the 19th century, Mwami (king) Rwabugiri of the Kingdom of Rwanda conducted a decades-long process of military conquest and administrative consolidation that resulted in the kingdom coming to control most of what is now Rwanda. The colonial powers, Germany and Belgium, allied with the Rwandan court.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Kivu</span> Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

South Kivu is one of 26 provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Its capital is Bukavu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interahamwe</span> Paramilitary group involved in 1994 Rwandan Genocide

The Interahamwe is a Hutu paramilitary organization active in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. The Interahamwe was formed around 1990 as the youth wing of the National Republican Movement for Democracy and Development, the then-ruling party of Rwanda, and enjoyed the backing of the Hutu Power government. The Interahamwe, led by Robert Kajuga, were the main perpetrators of the Rwandan genocide, during which an estimated 500,000 to 1,000,000 Tutsi, Twa, and moderate Hutus were killed from April to July 1994, and the term "Interahamwe" was widened to mean any civilian militias or bands killing Tutsi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rwandan genocide</span> 1994 genocide of Tutsis in Rwanda

The Rwandan genocide, also known as the genocide against the Tutsi, occurred from 7 April to 19 July 1994 during the Rwandan Civil War. Over a span of around 100 days, members of the Tutsi ethnic group, as well as some moderate Hutu and Twa, were systematically killed by Hutu militias. While the Rwandan Constitution states that over 1 million people were killed, most scholarly estimates suggest between 500,000 and 662,000 Tutsi died. The genocide was marked by extreme violence, with victims often murdered by neighbors, and widespread sexual violence, with between 250,000 and 500,000 women raped.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burundian Civil War</span> Inter-ethnic conflict within Burundi from 1993 to 2005

The Burundian Civil War was a civil war in Burundi lasting from 1993 to 2005. The civil war was the result of longstanding ethnic divisions between the Hutu and the Tutsi ethnic groups. The conflict began following the first multi-party elections in the country since its independence from Belgium in 1962, and is seen as formally ending with the swearing-in of President Pierre Nkurunziza in August 2005. Children were widely used by both sides in the war. The estimated death toll stands at 300,000.

Banyamulenge is a community that lives mainly in South Kivu province. The Banyamulenge are culturally and socially distinct from the Tutsi of South Kivu, with most speaking Kinyamulenge, a mix of Kinyarwanda, Kirundi, Ha language, and Swahili. Banyamulenge their role in Mobutu's war against and victory over the Simba Rebellion, which was supported by the majority of other tribes in South Kivu, their role during the First Congo War and subsequent regional conflicts (Rally for Congolese Democracy–Goma, Movement for the Liberation of the Congo, National Congress for the Defence of the People, and more importantly for the fact that two of the most influential presidents of their country declared them as enemy of the State both in 1996 and 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AFDL</span> Anti-Mobutu military coalition (1996–1997)

The Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo-Zaire, also known by the French acronym AFDL, was a coalition of Rwandan, Ugandan, Burundian, and Congolese dissidents, disgruntled minority groups, and nations that toppled Mobutu Sese Seko and brought Laurent-Désiré Kabila to power in the First Congo War. Although the group was successful in overthrowing Mobutu, the alliance fell apart after Kabila did not agree to be dictated by his foreign backers, Rwanda and Uganda, which marked the beginning of the Second Congo War in 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Congo War</span> 1996–1997 war in central Africa

The First Congo War, also known as Africa's First World War, was a civil and international military conflict that lasted from 24 October 1996 to 16 May 1997, primarily taking place in Zaire. The war resulted in the overthrow of Zairean President Mobutu Sese Seko, who was replaced by rebel leader Laurent-Désiré Kabila. This conflict, which also involved multiple neighboring countries, set the stage for the Second Congo War (1998–2003) due to tensions between Kabila and his former allies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Opération Turquoise</span> 1994 French-led military operation in Rwanda

Opération Turquoise was a French-led military operation in Rwanda in 1994 under the mandate of the United Nations. The "multilateral" force consisted of 2,500 troops, 32 from Senegal and the rest French. The equipment included 100 APCs, 10 helicopters, a battery of 120 mm mortars, 4 Jaguar fighter bombers, 8 Mirage fighters, and reconnaissance aircraft. The helicopters laid a trail of food, water and medicine enabling refugees to escape into eastern Zaire. Opération Turquoise is controversial for at least two reasons: accusations that it was an attempt to prop up the genocidal Hutu regime, and that its mandate undermined the UNAMIR. By facilitating 2 million Rwandan refugees to travel to Kivu provinces in Zaire, Turquoise setup the causes of the First Congo War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda</span> Rebel group in the DR Congo

The Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda is an armed rebel group active in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. As an ethnic Hutu group opposed to the ethnic Tutsi influence, the FDLR is one of the last factions of Rwandan rebels active in the Congo. It was founded through an amalgamation of other groups of Rwandan refugees in September 2000, including the former Army for the Liberation of Rwanda (ALiR), under the leadership of Paul Rwarakabije. It was active during the latter phases of the Second Congo War and the subsequent insurgencies in Kivu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Kabarebe</span> Rwandan military officer (born 1959)

James Kabarebe is a Rwandan retired military officer who serves as Minister of State for Regional Integration in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Army for the Liberation of Rwanda</span> Rebel group of the Second Congo War

The Army for the Liberation of Rwanda was a rebel group largely composed of former members of the Interahamwe and Rwandan Armed Forces. Operating mostly in the eastern regions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo along the border with Rwanda, it carried out attacks throughout the Second Congo War against forces aligned with Rwanda and Uganda. In 2000, the ALiR agreed to merge with the Hutu resistance movement based in Kinshasa into the new Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). ALiR was largely supplanted by the FDLR by 2001.

The DRC Mapping Exercise Report, or the Democratic Republic of the Congo 1993-2003 UN Mapping Report, was a report by the United Nations within the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the wake of the armed aggressions and war which took place between March 1993 and June 2003. Its aim was to map the most serious violations of human rights, together with violations of international humanitarian law, committed within the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In doing this it was to assess the capacities within the national justice system to deal appropriately with such human rights violations and to formulate a series of options aimed at assisting the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in identifying appropriate transitional justice mechanisms to deal with the legacy of these violations. It contained 550 pages and contained descriptions of 617 alleged violent incidents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bunyakiri</span> Town in Democratic Republic of the Congo

Bunyakiri is a town located in the high plateau of Kalehe Territory in the South Kivu Province in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Bunyakiri is nearby the Bulehe and Mulamba villages. It is mainly inhabited by Tembo, Havu, Twa and Hunde ethnic groups.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Massacres of Hutus during the First Congo War</span> 1996–1997 genocidal massacres

During the First Congo War, Rwandan, Congolese, and Burundian Hutu men, women, and children in villages and refugee camps were hunted down and became victims of mass killings in eastern Zaire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Democratic Republic of the Congo–Rwanda tensions (2022–present)</span> Ongoing military tensions between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda

Beginning in 2022, tensions heightened between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, marking a significant breakdown in relations between the two countries. Amid this, Rwandan forces have crossed into the DRC multiple times, usually fighting alongside Congolese rebels.

Kinyandonyi is a village in the Rutshuru Territory of the North Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kinyandonyi is situated 10 km east of the city of Kiwanja in Bukoma groupement, in the Bwisha Chiefdom and 85 km north of the capital of the province Goma. The region is inhabited by the Hunde people as well as some remaining autochthonous populations of African Pygmies, including the Twa people and the Mbuti people. In addition to the Hunde, Twa, and Mbuti, there are other ethnic groups, including the Nyanga, Lega, Kumu, Hutu and Tutsi.

The Kasika massacre took place on August 24, 1998, in the villages of Kasika, Kilungutwe, Kalama, and Zokwe, located in the Luindi Chiefdom of the Mwenga Territory in the South Kivu Province, situated in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Troops from the Rally for Congolese Democracy (RCD) and Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPA), primarily composed of Tutsi armed forces, killed over 1,000 civilians, predominantly belonging to the Nyindu community.

References

  1. ↑ {{The Collector |last=Korfiati|first= Marietta | title=Congolese Genocide: The Overlooked History of the Colonized Congo|year=2022 |url=https://www.thecollector.com/congolese-genocide-colonized-congo/ |access-date=2024-17-10 |
  2. ↑ Fahey, Dan (2013). Ituri: Gold, land, and ethnicity in north-eastern Congo. London, United Kingdom: Rift Valley Institute. p. 20. ISBN   978-1-907431-12-8.
  3. ↑ "THE BELGIAN CONGO: Sounds of the Future". Time. 1959-10-26. ISSN   0040-781X . Retrieved 2022-12-10.
  4. ↑ Times, Henry Tanner Special To the New York (1961-03-03). "44 SLAIN IN KASAI AS CONGO TROOPS FIRE ON CIVILIANS; Soldiers in Luluabourg Riot After Mob Kills 3 -- Ileo Repeats Call-Up Order 44 SLAIN IN KASAI BY CONGO TROOPS". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2022-12-10.
  5. ↑ "Today in History: How 43 Ghanaian peacekeepers were killed by Congolese army". GhanaWeb. 2020-04-28. Retrieved 2022-06-20.
  6. ↑ "The Congo Massacre". ChristianityToday.com. 18 December 1964. Retrieved 2022-12-10.
  7. ↑ Odom, Lieutenant Colonel Thomas P. (April 1993). "Shaba II: The French and Belgian Intervention in Zaire in 1978" (PDF). Combat Studies Institute.
  8. ↑ "The Age - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved 2022-06-20.
  9. 1 2 "Chronology of the Democratic Republic of Congo/Zaire (1960-1997) | Sciences Po Mass Violence and Resistance - Research Network". www.sciencespo.fr. 2016-01-25. Retrieved 2022-06-20.
  10. 1 2 Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "Refworld | Chronology for Tutsis in the Dem. Rep. of the Congo". Refworld. Retrieved 2022-06-18.
  11. ↑ Binet, Laurence (April 2013). "The Hunting and Killing of Rwandan Refugees in Zaire-Congo (1996-1997)" (PDF). Médecins Sans Frontières.
  12. ↑ "Letter from the Archive: The Genocide in Rwanda". The New Yorker. 2014-04-04. Retrieved 2022-06-18.
  13. ↑ "A second Rwanda genocide is revealed in Congo". NBC News. 10 October 2010. Retrieved 2022-06-18.
  14. ↑ "Amnesty International Annual Report 1999".
  15. ↑ "CASUALTIES OF WAR". www.hrw.org. Retrieved 2022-06-18.
  16. ↑ "Massacre de Kiwanja en RDC: dix ans plus tard, aucune poursuite judiciaire". RFI (in French). 2018-11-06. Retrieved 2022-06-18.
  17. ↑ Wambua-Soi, Catherine. "Revisiting massacre site". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2022-06-18.
  18. ↑ "UN blames DR Congo groups for 'Masisi massacre'". BBC News. 2014-02-14. Retrieved 2022-06-18.
  19. ↑ Presse, AFP-Agence France. "Congolese Nobel Laureate Speaks Out Against Killings". www.barrons.com. Retrieved 2022-06-18.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.