Deus Sylivester Malyagili
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- Jan 19, 2019
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Several hundred people were massacred in Yumbi and surrounding villages in mid-December. These photos were shared on social networks.
At the area of Yumbi, a town in western Democratic Republic of the Congo, in mid-December. People were shot, stabbed and, in some cases, burned to death; hundreds of homes were destroyed. The UN announced on January 16 that at least 890 people had been killed. The France 24 Observers have established what exactly happened during this massacre.
The massacre took place in Yumbi, a town on the banks of the Congo River, and in several surrounding villages. Most of the people in this area are from the Batende community. The largest minority group is the Banunu.
According to Gentiny Ngobila, the governor of Mai-Ndombe province, an estimated 200,000 people live in and around Yumbi, with about 40,000 living in the town itself.
In late December, several photos, seemingly taken in Yumbi during the massacre and in the days following, started circulating on social media. However, it was difficult to verify their origin, especially because there was an internet blackout in the country, which lasted from December 31 – the day after the presidential election – through January 19.
What sparked the massacre?
Everyone who we interviewed was in agreement about the origin of the violence: It was sparked by the burial of a Banunu traditional chief in Yumbi, on the night of December 13. The Batende, the majority group in the area, saw this as a provocation because they consider Yumbi their territory.
According to Governor Ngobila, after the chief’s burial a group of young Banunu men started provoking passing Batende in the street. He said this took place on the morning of December 16.
There is a long-standing rivalry between these two tribes, which stems from a land dispute. According to Ngobila, who is from the Batende community, these tensions began in the 1940s, when the DR Congo was still under colonial rule.
“In 1963, hundreds of people died in clashes between the Banunu and the Batende,” Ngobila said. “In this area, all you need is a spark to set off violence.”
December 16: Yumbi attacked
According to all of the eyewitnesses interviewed by our team, the violence in Yumbi began sometime in the early afternoon of December 16, when a group of Batende men arrived in the town armed with guns and knives.
“I saw them kill children who hadn’t been able to keep up with their fleeing parents”
Jean P. (not his real name), age 27, grew up in Yumbi, though he is now studying in Kinshasa. In December, however, he was back home, staying with his parents in Yumbi. Jean is Banunu and is related to the traditional chief whose burial kicked off the violence. He witnessed the violence firsthand. For fear of reprisals, he has asked to stay anonymous in this article.
It was about 2:30pm and I was at home, near the town centre, when we first heard shooting. It sounded like it was coming from the outskirts of town. We saw people fleeing and houses that were going up in smoke. My entire family and I gathered inside and shut all of our doors and windows. We have metal doors and windows with locks, and that’s what saved us.
From the windows, I could see some of what was going on. I saw a group of four of the attackers. They were tall and athletic. They were dressed in black and had their faces covered. They all had guns and they were shooting men and boys.
Behind them, there was another group of men. These men didn’t have their faces covered. They were destroying houses, setting them on fire. They were using machetes to finish off the people who had been shot. I also saw them kill children who hadn’t been able to keep up with their fleeing parents.
Most of the people they shot were men, though I did see some women who were injured, as well. It seemed to me like the women hadn’t been targeted, though.
The attack lasted about an hour and 45 minutes. When I went outside afterwards, I saw about 20 dead bodies in the street.
From the people who I spoke to after the attack, I’ve gathered that there were about a dozen groups like the one I’ve described. In total, there were about a hundred attackers who ravaged the town of Yumbi. I heard that many people were killed near the Congo River, while they were trying to escape. Lots of bodies fell into the water and were carried away by the current.
Jean’s description of how the attackers operated was corroborated by Colonel Olivier Gasita, who has been serving as commander in chief of operations and as interim administrator of the territory of Yumbi since December 20 (the previous administrator was killed in the attack). The colonel and his team interviewed many of the survivors of the massacre and their descriptions matched the one that Jean gave.
“We saw people with burns, people who had been shot and people who had been injured with machetes”
Michel B. (not his real name) is a doctor at the General Hospital in Yumbi. He was working there when the attack took place. He has also asked to remain anonymous for safety reasons.
I was in my office when the attack started. I didn’t hear or see anything, though, because our offices are about three or four kilometres from the area where the massacre started.
When the attack began, some people took shelter in our hospital. After it was finished, about a hundred injured people were brought here [Editor’s note: 82 people were brought to the hospital, according to the president of the civil society in Yumbi]. We were cruelly lacking in space, but our entire staff was mobilised.
We saw people with burns, people who had been shot with hunting rifles and people who had been injured with machetes. About a dozen of the people we treated didn’t survive, including women and children. Some of them had terrible burns, while others had lost a lot of blood. Some of the people brought here were pronounced dead upon arrival.
At the area of Yumbi, a town in western Democratic Republic of the Congo, in mid-December. People were shot, stabbed and, in some cases, burned to death; hundreds of homes were destroyed. The UN announced on January 16 that at least 890 people had been killed. The France 24 Observers have established what exactly happened during this massacre.
The massacre took place in Yumbi, a town on the banks of the Congo River, and in several surrounding villages. Most of the people in this area are from the Batende community. The largest minority group is the Banunu.
According to Gentiny Ngobila, the governor of Mai-Ndombe province, an estimated 200,000 people live in and around Yumbi, with about 40,000 living in the town itself.
In late December, several photos, seemingly taken in Yumbi during the massacre and in the days following, started circulating on social media. However, it was difficult to verify their origin, especially because there was an internet blackout in the country, which lasted from December 31 – the day after the presidential election – through January 19.
What sparked the massacre?
Everyone who we interviewed was in agreement about the origin of the violence: It was sparked by the burial of a Banunu traditional chief in Yumbi, on the night of December 13. The Batende, the majority group in the area, saw this as a provocation because they consider Yumbi their territory.
According to Governor Ngobila, after the chief’s burial a group of young Banunu men started provoking passing Batende in the street. He said this took place on the morning of December 16.
There is a long-standing rivalry between these two tribes, which stems from a land dispute. According to Ngobila, who is from the Batende community, these tensions began in the 1940s, when the DR Congo was still under colonial rule.
“In 1963, hundreds of people died in clashes between the Banunu and the Batende,” Ngobila said. “In this area, all you need is a spark to set off violence.”
December 16: Yumbi attacked
According to all of the eyewitnesses interviewed by our team, the violence in Yumbi began sometime in the early afternoon of December 16, when a group of Batende men arrived in the town armed with guns and knives.
“I saw them kill children who hadn’t been able to keep up with their fleeing parents”
Jean P. (not his real name), age 27, grew up in Yumbi, though he is now studying in Kinshasa. In December, however, he was back home, staying with his parents in Yumbi. Jean is Banunu and is related to the traditional chief whose burial kicked off the violence. He witnessed the violence firsthand. For fear of reprisals, he has asked to stay anonymous in this article.
It was about 2:30pm and I was at home, near the town centre, when we first heard shooting. It sounded like it was coming from the outskirts of town. We saw people fleeing and houses that were going up in smoke. My entire family and I gathered inside and shut all of our doors and windows. We have metal doors and windows with locks, and that’s what saved us.
From the windows, I could see some of what was going on. I saw a group of four of the attackers. They were tall and athletic. They were dressed in black and had their faces covered. They all had guns and they were shooting men and boys.
Behind them, there was another group of men. These men didn’t have their faces covered. They were destroying houses, setting them on fire. They were using machetes to finish off the people who had been shot. I also saw them kill children who hadn’t been able to keep up with their fleeing parents.
Most of the people they shot were men, though I did see some women who were injured, as well. It seemed to me like the women hadn’t been targeted, though.
The attack lasted about an hour and 45 minutes. When I went outside afterwards, I saw about 20 dead bodies in the street.
From the people who I spoke to after the attack, I’ve gathered that there were about a dozen groups like the one I’ve described. In total, there were about a hundred attackers who ravaged the town of Yumbi. I heard that many people were killed near the Congo River, while they were trying to escape. Lots of bodies fell into the water and were carried away by the current.
Jean’s description of how the attackers operated was corroborated by Colonel Olivier Gasita, who has been serving as commander in chief of operations and as interim administrator of the territory of Yumbi since December 20 (the previous administrator was killed in the attack). The colonel and his team interviewed many of the survivors of the massacre and their descriptions matched the one that Jean gave.
“We saw people with burns, people who had been shot and people who had been injured with machetes”
Michel B. (not his real name) is a doctor at the General Hospital in Yumbi. He was working there when the attack took place. He has also asked to remain anonymous for safety reasons.
I was in my office when the attack started. I didn’t hear or see anything, though, because our offices are about three or four kilometres from the area where the massacre started.
When the attack began, some people took shelter in our hospital. After it was finished, about a hundred injured people were brought here [Editor’s note: 82 people were brought to the hospital, according to the president of the civil society in Yumbi]. We were cruelly lacking in space, but our entire staff was mobilised.
We saw people with burns, people who had been shot with hunting rifles and people who had been injured with machetes. About a dozen of the people we treated didn’t survive, including women and children. Some of them had terrible burns, while others had lost a lot of blood. Some of the people brought here were pronounced dead upon arrival.
