At least 20 people have been killed in three days of clashes in southeast DR Congo between Pygmy and Bantu people over a disputed caterpillar collection tax, a local parliamentarian told AFP on Tuesday.

Local MP Kalunga Mawazo told AFP on Tuesday that the fighting in Kabalo between Sunday and Tuesday was triggered by a dispute over the caterpillar harvest, a common food staple for the hunter-gatherer people of the Tanganyika region in northern Katanga.

"The attacks since Sunday left four (Bantu) Lubas and 16 Pygmies dead in a row over the tax traditionally paid to the Bantus by the Pygmies," Kalunga said.

A local priest who asked not to be named said that "the Pygmies now believe they have the same rights as citizens as the others. They refused to pay this illegal tax and shot two Luba people dead with arrows when they demanded payment."

A further two Lubas, who are Bantu people, were killed in revenge attacks, and the bodies of 16 Pygmies found, he added.

Tanganyika governor Ngoy Kitangala said security forces were being dispatched to the area where tension was extremely high.

Northern Katanga, a region as big as Spain, has seen repeated clashes between Bantu Lubas and Pygmy Twa people since 2013. </s> Twenty people were killed after three days of clashes between Twa Pygmies and Luba Bantus in Kabalo in the southeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The member of parliament for the area, Kalunga Mawazo, who confirmed the death toll to AFP said the clashes occured between Sunday and Tuesday.

“4 deaths were recorded among the Lubas and 16 among the Pygmies who have been quarreling since Sunday over customary royalty paid by the Bantu,” the MP Kalunga added.

The clashes are suspected to have been caused by a disagreement over caterpillar harvest as anonymously confirmed by a Catholic priest of the Tanganyika diocese in northern Katanga.

“The Pygmies believe they now enjoy the same rights as the citizens. They refused to pay this illegal tax and killed two Lubas with an arrow for demanding they pay the tax,” the priest said.

“It was during a retaliatory attack that two more Lubas and 16 Pygmy bodies were found,” the Catholic priest added.

“Tension is high in Kabalo, we sent a team there and reinforcements to restore order,” the Governor of Tanganyika, Ngoy Kitangala, told AFP without confirming the death toll.

In early September, local authorities had reported the resumption of hostilities between the two ethnic groups.

Since 2013, the North Katanga region is the scene of many clashes between Bantus of Luba and Pygmies of Twa ethnicity. </s> At least 20 people were killed in ethnic clashes last week in Democratic Republic of Congo 's troubled Kasai region, according to the United Nations. The UN's DR Congo mission said in a statement on Wednesday that the clashes took place in the central region, east of the Kasai capital, Tshikapa.

Start the conversation, or Read more at Al Jazeera. </s> GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo — Ethnic clashes between Hema herders and Lendu farmers in the northeastern province of Ituri in the Democratic Republic of Congo have killed more than 40 people, local officials said Friday.

Tensions between the groups have been largely dormant since their battles from 1998 to 2003 left thousands of people dead, but violence has flared again in recent months because of disputes over land.

At least 30 people were killed in two days of clashes last month between armed Hema and Lendu.

Militia activity has increased across eastern Congo’s borderlands near Uganda and Rwanda in the past year, stoked in part by President Joseph Kabila’s refusal to step down in December 2016 as required by the Constitution.

Alfred Ndrabu, a member of the Roman Catholic Church’s Justice and Peace Commission in Ituri, said a colleague in the village of Maze had counted 49 bodies from Thursday’s clashes, which continued into Friday morning.

“The Lendu and their allies attacked the village of Maze,” Mr. Ndrabu said. “They were pushed back by security forces.”

“They returned with reinforcements,” he said, “which was when they perpetrated the carnage.”

Jean-Bosco Lalo, an activist based in the provincial capital, Bunia, said his organization had so far recorded 43 deaths. He did not say who had initiated the violence. </s> Twenty people died in ethnic clashes last week in the troubled central Kasai region of Democratic Republic of Congo, the United Nations said Wednesday.

The UN's DR Congo mission, MONUSCO, said in a statement that the clashes took place on April 19 east of the Kasai capital, Tshikapa, between members of the Lulua-Luba and Chowe-Pende communities, killing 20 Chowe-Pende people.

The Chowe-Pende consider themselves indigenous to the Kasai region and accuse the Lulua-Luba from the neighbouring Kasai region of supporting the Kamwina Nsapu militia.

The latter claim their authority from chief Kamwina Nsapu who was killed in the region in August 2016 by police after a rebellion against the Congolese authorities.

Kasai has since been shaken by violence between security forces and militias in which around 100 people died, including two UN experts -- American Michael Sharp and dual Swedish-Chilean national Zaida Catalan.

The Kamwina Nsapu rebellion has been accused by the UN of numerous atrocities and recruiting children.

The security forces, meanwhile, are blamed by the UN for making disproportionate use of force against militia armed mainly with sticks and stones. </s> At least 20 people were killed in ethnic clashes last week in the Democratic Republic of Congo's troubled Kasai region, according to the United Nations.

The UN's DR Congo mission said in a statement on Wednesday that the clashes took place in the central region, east of the Kasai capital, Tshikapa.

Violence between members of the Lulua-Luba and Chowe-Pende communities escalated, and saw at least 20 members of the Chowe-Pende killed, the agency said.

The Chowe-Pende accuse the Lulua-Luba of supporting the Kamwina Nsapu militia.

The Kamwina Nsapu militia claim its authority from chief Kamwina Nsapu, who was killed in the region in August 2016 by police after a rebellion against the Congolese authorities.

The militia has been fighting security forces largely to avenge the chief's death.

READ MORE: Kamwina Nsapu militia kill 40 policemen in DR Congo

According to the UN, fighting has killed at least 400 people, including two UN investigators, since government troops killed the chief eight months ago.

The violence has become the most serious threat to President Joseph Kabila, whose decision to stay in power after his mandate ran out in December gave rise to nationwide lawlessness.



The UN has accused the Kamwina Nsapu rebellion of numerous atrocities and of recruiting children for combat.

Numerous mass graves, reportedly dug by DRC soldiers after clashes with the militia, have also been found in the Kasai region.

The UN has almost 19,000 troops deployed in Congo, its largest and costliest peacekeeping mission. </s> GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) - Ethnic clashes between Hema herders and Lendu farmers in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo's Ituri province have killed about 30 people, the provincial vice-governor said on Friday, in the second such incident in a month.

Tensions between the two groups have largely laid dormant since a 1998-2003 war, when thousands died in fighting between the two groups, but have flared again in recent months due to disputes over land. 

 At least 30 people were killed in two days of clashes last month between armed Hema and Lendu. 

 Militia activity has increased across eastern Congo's borderlands with Uganda and Rwanda in the past year, stoked in part by President Joseph Kabila's refusal to step down at the end of his constitutional mandate in December 2016.

 "We have received different numbers, but it is about 30," Ituri vice-governor Pacifique Keta told Reuters of Thursday's clashes, which continued into Friday morning. 

 Local army spokesman Jules Ngongo could not yet provide a death toll but said Congolese forces had intervened to separate the two sides.

 "It was a case of reprisals by the two communities," he said. "According to our information, there were cases of people being decapitated." 

 Millions of people died in eastern Congo's wars around the turn of the century, mostly from hunger and disease. Dozens of armed militia continue to operate there, preying on local populations and exploiting reserves of minerals and other resources.

 

 (Reporting By Fiston Mahamba; Additional reporting by Amedee Mwarabu; Writing by Aaron Ross; Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg) </s> BUNIA, Congo — Authorities say nearly three dozen people have been killed in the latest round of intercommunal fighting in northeastern Congo.

Interior Minister Henri Mova Sakanyi said 34 bodies had been found Friday after the killings in several villages in Congo’s Ituri province.

But one legislator who spoke with U.N.-backed Radio Okapi put the toll at 50 dead, and urged the military to stop the killings.

In early February, fighting erupted and left at least 26 dead in the area.

The violence has been between members of the Lendu and Hema groups, whose battles between 1999 and 2004 left untold thousands dead and led to the arrival of a U.N. peacekeeping force in the area. </s> GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) - Ethnic clashes between Hema herders and Lendu farmers in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ituri province have killed more than 40 people, local officials said on Friday, in the second such incident in a month.

Tensions between the two groups have largely laid dormant since a 1998-2003 war, when thousands died in fighting between the two groups, but have flared again in recent months due to disputes over land.

At least 30 people were killed in two days of clashes last month between armed Hema and Lendu.

Militia activity has increased across eastern Congo’s borderlands with Uganda and Rwanda in the past year, stoked in part by President Joseph Kabila’s refusal to step down at the end of his constitutional mandate in December 2016.

Alfred Ndrabu, a member of the Catholic church’s Justice and Peace Commission in Ituri, said a colleague in the village of Maze had counted 49 bodies from Thursday’s clashes, which continued into Friday morning.

“The Lendu and their allies attacked the village of Maze,” Ndrabu told Reuters.“They were pushed back by security forces ... They returned with reinforcements ... which was when they perpetrated the carnage.”

Jean-Bosco Lalo, an activist based in the provincial capital of Bunia, said his organization, had so far recorded 43 deaths. He did not say who had initiated the violence.

“It was a case of reprisals by the two communities,” said local army spokesman Jules Ngongo, who did not yet have a death toll.“According to our information, there were cases of people being decapitated.”

Millions of people died during conflicts in Ituri and elsewhere in eastern Congo around the turn of the century, mostly from hunger and disease.

Three warlords from Ituri have been tried by the International Criminal Court - and two of them convicted - for their roles in those conflicts. Another is currently on trial for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Clashes between Pygmy and Bantu tribes in Tanganyika region of Democratic Republic of Congo leave 20 people dead.