At least 22 ethnic Teke civilians were killed in late November when militia fighters attacked a village in the western Democratic Republic of Congo, the latest episode of intercommunal violence that has plagued the region since 2022.

The massacre in Nkana village—located in Kwamouth territory, Mai-Ndombe province, just some 75 kilometers northeast of the capital Kinshasa—was reportedly carried out by fighters from the Mobondo militia, which is aligned with the Yaka ethnic group. Human Rights Watch, which documented the attack in a report released Dec. 16, said fighters armed with firearms and machetes killed "mostly ethnic Teke villagers in their homes as they attempted to flee."

The Teke are indigenous to western Congo and have long-established customary land rights in the area. However, in recent years Yaka people from neighboring provinces have started to migrate to the area, either to work as farmhands or to farm on newly settled lands in exchange for payment of a tax to the local Teke customary chief.

The attack was apparently triggered by the refusal of Teke residents to appoint a customary chief from the Yaka people. In the days leading up to the assault, threatening messages were sent to some Teke villagers.

HRW described the killings as "an apparent retaliatory attack linked to rising intercommunal tensions." The organization urged Congolese authorities to take immediate action to address the root causes of the violence. The organization warned that failure to act decisively risks entrenching cycles of revenge that could destabilize areas close to the capital.

Kwamouth territory has experienced repeated clashes between Yaka and Teke communities since June 2022, driven by disputes over land, customary authority, and political representation. The violence has drawn condemnation from civil society activists, human rights groups, and traditional authorities.

Following the attack, Congolese authorities deployed military personnel to the area and announced an investigation. Some lawmakers have called on the provincial assembly to adopt urgent measures to address the crisis.

"The violence in Kwamouth is just one of many deadly ethnic conflicts in Congo," said Lewis Mudge, Central Africa director at Human Rights Watch. "The global focus on the peace accords in eastern Congo shouldn’t distract from the unchecked violence and injustice and the cycles of impunity in other areas."

From JURIST, Dec. 17. Used with permission.

Note: Mai-Ndombe and the provinces from which Taka settlers are arriving were all carved out of Bandundu province in a 2015 repartitioning of the DRC's internal borders.