# Bibogobogo

Bibogobogo, alternatively referred to as Bibokoboko in Kibembe, is a village in the middle plateaus of the Mutambala Sector in the Fizi Territory in the South Kivu Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is situated in the forested mountains and middle plateaus, overlooking Baraka in the south-west, near Kisombe and Bibokoboko II villages. Geographically, Bibogobogo shares its boundaries with Uvira Territory to the north, Mwenga and Shabunda Territories to the west, Kalemie Territory to the south, and Lake Tanganyika to the east.
The region's soil is geologically replete with various metals, including sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, aluminum, and mercury, making it suitable for gold plating, mercury-related pollution studies, pollution indexing, and agricultural activities. Despite its abundant forest biodiversity, the region is mired in poverty and plagued by insecurity, stymieing any efforts towards sustainable development. The persistent ethnic conflicts in the area profoundly impact the diverse communities, which include the Babembe, Bafuliiru, Babwari, Babuyu, Banyindu, Balega (Warega), Bamushi, and Banyamulenge.

## History

Historically, the area was predominantly inhabited by the Bembe and Buyu peoples, Bantu ethnic groups residing along the shores of Lake Tanganyika and within the Fizi Territory. The region is also home to several other ethnic groups closely intertwined with the Bembe, including the Babwari, Nyindu, Barega, Bagoma, Basanze, Bazoba, and Fuliiru. In the mid-20th-century, in the Belgian Congo, Banyarwanda migrants from Rwanda dispersed in the area in search of greener pastures. The village also provided refuge to immigrants from Burundi during the Great Calamity of 1972 and the subsequent displacement of Burundians in 1976–1977.
In September 1996, at the onset of the First Congo War, escalating insecurity in the territories of Fizi, Uvira, and Mwenga, driven by the insurgencies of Tutsi/Banyamulenge armed factions, prompted the Forces Armées Zaïroises (FAZ) to launch multiple operations against various armed groups and militias within the North and South Kivu Provinces. During these military campaigns, the FAZ perpetrated numerous atrocities against Banyamulenge. Reports from the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) indicate that the Banyamulenge residents of Bibogobogo village were subjected to mass manumilatari arrests by FAZ soldiers. Over 700 individuals were detained and transported to Baraka prison, where men, women, and children were confined in separate sheds and accused of collaborating with Banyamulenge/Tutsi-infiltrated armed units.

## Insecurity problems

Following nearly three decades of violence, Bibogobogo still suffered significant insecurity issues. Persistent armed conflict, massive population displacement, non-existent infrastructure, and widespread deterioration of productive assets have severely impacted food security in Bibogobogo. Recurring warfare and ethnic tensions further exacerbate the prevailing sense of insecurity in both the northern and southern sectors of the village.
Recent clashes in Bibogobogo have seen the Twiganeho-Makanika militia, primarily composed of Banyamulenge combatants, pitted against the Mai-Mai Mutetezi, predominantly consisting of Babembe fighters. Colonel Michel Rukundo Makanika, an army deserter, leads the Twigwaneho-Makanika faction. This group, along with a contingent of Banyamulenge soldiers, has established itself as an insurgent entity, staunchly defending the interests of the Banyamulenge people in the rugged Fizi highlands of South Kivu. The Mai-Mai of Ebuela Mtetezi, on the other hand, comprises Bembe commanders who previously led their factions. In February 2010, at least five instances of armed attacks were reported along the route from Baraka to Bibogobogo, involving operatives from both the Mai-Mai and Banyamulenge rebel groups. Armed assaults resurfaced in June 2020, leading to the distressing displacement of approximately 1,500 families of internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Fizi, leaving them in an extremely precarious predicament.

### 2021 Incident

On October 15, 2021, Mai-Mai Mutetezi and Mai-Mai Biloze Bishambuke attacked Twiganeho-Makanika, who shelled their strongholds from the villages of Mugorore, Mugono, Bivumu, and Bibogobogo in the vast expanse of Fizi Territory. The Mai-Mai Mutetezi and the Bilozi Bishambuke captured 40 Twiganeho, as well as looting the village, absconding with a substantial herd of a hundred bovines, and ruthlessly claiming the lives of the locals. In addition, Mai-Mai Biloze Bishambuke and Mai-Mai Mutetezi claim to have attacked the villages of Bibogobogo to stifle the ambition of the Ngumino/Twigwaneho to extend their strongholds to other entities in the middle plateaus and the coast during the deployment of the FARDC (Forces Armées de la République Démocratique du Congo). However, the Twiganeho militiamen deny these allegations, instead asserting that the Mai-Mai attacks are motivated by a sinister agenda of "ethnic cleansing." Contrary to this claim, Dieudonne Kasereka, the spokesperson for the army in South Kivu Province, maintains that these are not acts of "ethnic cleansing," but rather confrontations between the Twiganeho and Mai-Mai combatants.
Kasereka stated:
   "It is the armed groups of the Mai-Mai Biloze Bishambuke against the Twigwaneho who are fighting in the Maguga village near Bibokoboko. These armed groups began their hostilities since the morning of this Wednesday. We learn that some villages have been burned on both sides, on the Biloze side and on the Twigwaneho side. The FARDC strongly condemn this action. We have dispatched the soldiers who are on their way to try to track down these outlaws who continue to sow desolation among the population".
Since November 2021, armed groups have intensified attacks in Bibokoboko. As a result, more than a thousand displaced people fled to Baraka in November 2021. However, the displaced returned to their environment in late December 2021 after establishing a temporary base for the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) in the region.