The Catholic Bishops have accused Congolese political leaders of exploiting a community conflict that has claimed the lives of hundreds in the west of the Democratic Republic of Congo. This community violence began last June in the territory of Kwamouth (province of Mai-Ndombe), surrounding a land dispute between the Teke, who consider themselves to be from and owners of the villages located along the Congo River for approximately 200 km, and the Yaka, who settled in the area afterwards.
Since then, the violence has spread to the neighbouring provinces of Kwilu and Kwango, reaching the Maluku commune at the entrance of Kinshasa. According to the NGO Human Rights Watch, at least 300 people have been killed.
“At the conclusion of pastoral visits, interviews, contacts, and testimonies collected from various segments of the population, we have become convinced that bloodthirsty invisible forces from Kinshasa are behind this conflict,” declared the bishops of nine dioceses in a statement.
This affirmation was made in Kenge at the conclusion of an episcopal assembly of the western region, which includes the dioceses in Kinshasa, Kongo-Central, Kwango, Kwilu, and Mai-Ndombe.
“Starting from a land dispute, this conflict has been taken up by individuals who defend hidden interests of a political and economic nature.” The prelates consider it as the “exploitation of the conflict by certain politicians seeking local legitimacy.”
“Remove your bloodthirsty hands from our provinces, act responsibly to protect our people, stop manipulating and exploiting a people already bruised by suffering, poverty, and recurring mourning,” they said, paraphrasing Pope Francis.
During his visit to Kinshasa at the end of January, where he denounced “economic colonialism,” the pontiff notably stated, “Take your hands off Africa!” and “Stop suffocating Africa: it is not a mine to be exploited nor a land to be plundered.”
The Congolese bishops have also called for a “harmonious coexistence between different peoples” in the DRC.
In Kisangani (centre-east), a similar conflict has been simmering since April between members of the Lengola and Mbole tribes, while the eastern provinces have been plagued by deadly violence from armed groups, both local and foreign, for nearly 30 years.