Beginning of the uprising and Kamwina Nsapu's death Kamwina Nsapu incited his men with xenophobic language, referring to the regular security forces as foreign mercenaries and an occupation force. Upon his death, the Congolese Observatory for Human Rights condemned his killing and suggested he should have been arrested instead. The government did not bury his remains according to local customs, triggering outrage among his followers. Several of his followers refused to believe that he was dead and escalated the violence by intensifying their attacks on the security forces. On 26 September 2016, the government announced that in total, 49 people had been killed (27 militiamen, 16 policemen and 6 civilians) and 185 militiamen captured since the fighting began. In January 2017, four militiamen were killed, and two policemen were wounded. A few days later, the rebels called for the removal of the governor, Alex Kande, and protested the visit of Prime Minister
Samy Badibanga. ,
Kasaï-Central, on 20 February 2017 to promote dialogue in the region On 9 February 2017, fighting erupted in
Tshimbulu between 300 militiamen and the armed forces in a reprisal attack by the militia. At least six people were killed, including one civilian. By the next day, 60 to 75 were reported killed by the armed forces, while at least two servicemen had been wounded. On 14 February, United Nations human rights spokeswoman Liz Throssell announced that at least 101 people had been killed by government forces between 9 and 13 February, with 39 women confirmed to have been among them. A few days later, a video showing members of the Congolese military killing civilians in the village of
Mwanza Lomba was leaked. Human Rights Minister
Marie-Ange Mushobekwa said that the video had not been authenticated, and Communications Minister
Lambert Mende Omalanga said that it had filmed in another country "to destroy the image of the D.R.C." On 18 February 2017, the Grand Séminaire de Malole (Great Seminary of Malole) in Kananga was ransacked by Kamwina Nsapu militants. It was the first time that they attacked a Roman Catholic target. and Justin Milonga, the vice governor of Kasaï-Central, called for the Kamwina Nsapu fighters to negotiate with the government.
MONUSCO troops also toured Nganza and Malole in Kananga to calm the situation. However, on 26 February 2017, Justin Milonga, the vice governor of Kasaï-Central, said that the "insanity" needed to end and that children should resume going to school. Regardless, fighting continued to escalate, with the time of April to June 2017 being the most violent phase of the rebellion. At the insurgency's peak, it was estimated that Kamwina Nsapu factions had grown to over 10,000 fighters. Local
Chokwe and
Pende who felt threatened by the rebels set up self-defense groups, with
Bana Mura and
Ecurie Mbembe being the most notable ones. These militias allied with government forces, and became proactive as well. Chokwe, Pende, and
Tetela militant groups organized ethnic cleansing operations, driving Luba from large areas to deprive the rebels of supporters and recruits. Kamwina Nsapu rebels responded by increasing their attacks on non-Luba civilians. As the conflict continued to spread and escalate in violence, the government sent hardened troops from eastern Congo to fight the Kamwina Nsapu militia. The commanders of these reinforcements were "notorious for their brutality" and even included a former
warlord who had once been sentenced by the government to death for his extreme behavior. Increasing reports surfaced of the military having massacred both captured rebels and Luba civilians who were suspected of supporting the insurgency. By October 2017, the uprising had been mostly contained by Congolese government forces.
Low-level insurgency in Kasaï By early 2018, the government had retaken most of the areas in Kasaï and the surrounding regions which had previously been held by insurgents. Nevertheless, fighting continued and a new surge of violence in February 2018 caused about 11,000 people in Kasaï to flee their homes. On 15 September 2018, Ndaye Kalonga Nsabanga, the leader of a rebel coalition consisting of 8 militias, surrendered to the government in
Kananga. Most of his forces, including the commanders of seven militias as well as 600 regular fighters, also laid down their weapons. The United Nations estimated that about 5,000 people had been killed overall during the fighting by August 2018, though the violence did "still fall short of genocide". Several Kamwina Nsapu militias launched attacks during the
Congolese general election on 30 December 2018. After the election resulted in the victory of opposition presidential candidate
Félix Tshisekedi, about 743 Kamwina Nsapu insurgents along with three of their commanders (including Lokondo Luakatebua and Mubiayi Dewayi) surrendered in Kasaï in January 2019. In this way, the rebels showcased that they recognized Tshisekedi as new president and that they were ready to support him amid the ongoing disputes about the election results. By mid-2019, 1,500 rebels had surrendered. Although these surrenders were accompanied by a significant reduction in local fighting, it was estimated that around 90% of the insurgents had stopped fighting but not surrendered their weapons. Several rebels remained wary of the pro-government militias, as these generally remained under arms. The security situation once again worsened in May 2019. Dissatisfied that the new government had not fulfilled its promises, several rebels had resumed their insurgency. The city of
Kananga was particularly affected by an upsurge of violence. According to the UN Children's Fund, 653 schools and 223 health centers were plundered amid the fighting between rebels and government forces in the Kasai region in May 2019.
Aftermath In March 2021, a Kamwina Nsapu militia leader, Laurent Nsumbu, was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Kananga Military Tribunal for war crimes. The NGO
TRIAL International hailed this event as important in finally addressing the violations of human rights during the rebellion. In August 2021, Kasaians gathered in
Kinshasa for a
requiem to honour those who had died during the Kamwina Nsapu rebellion. The organisers demanded justice for those who had been hurt or killed by the government forces and allied militias. == Rebel forces ==