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, 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 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 UN has accused the Kamwina Nsapu rebellion of numerous atrocities and of recruiting children for combat. The security forces, meanwhile, are blamed by the UN for making disproportionate use of force against militia armed mainly with sticks and stones.
The United Nations MONUSCO reports that 20 Chowe-Pende community members have been killed in clashes with the Lulua-Luba community in Kasaï-Central, Democratic Republic of Congo.