Provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo affected by the rebellion at its peak (dark red).
Date
8 August 2016 – c. 2019 (c. 3 years)
Location
Kasaï-Central, Kasaï, Kasaï-Oriental, Lomami and Sankuru; Democratic Republic of the Congo
Result
Government victory
Belligerents
Kamwina Nsapu rebels[1]
Various independent militias[2]
DR Congo Allied militias:
Bana Mura[3]
Ecurie Mbembe[4]
Smaller pro-government groups[1][5]
Commanders and leaders
Jean-Pierre Mpandi "Kamwina Nsapu" †[6]
No central leader since August 2016[6]
Joseph Kabila (until Jan. 2019) Félix Tshisekedi (from Jan. 2019) Gen. Dieudonné Banze Gen. Éric Ruhorimbere[7]
Units involved
Unclear
Congolese security forces
Armed Forces
Police Force
Republican Guard[8]
National Intelligence Agency[9]
Strength
10,000+[10]
Thousands[1]
Casualties and losses
Thousands killed, captured, and surrendered
Hundreds killed and wounded
Killed in total: c. 5,000 (UN estimate by August 2018);[5] 3,300+ (Catholic Church estimate by June 2017)[11][9] Displaced: 1.09 million internally,[12] 35,000 to Angola[13]
v
t
e
Conflicts in DR Congo
Background
Colonization
Congo Free State
Atrocities
Belgian Congo
during WWII
1944 Kivu uprising
Léopoldville riots
v
t
e
Congo Crisis
Force Publique mutinies
Secession crisis
Katanga
South Kasai
Invasion
Congo-Stanleyville
UN intervention
Rum Punch
Niemba ambush
Battle of Kabalo
Jadotville
UNOKAT
Camp Massart
Grandslam
Kindu atrocity
Port Francqui incident
Kanyarwanda War
Kwilu rebellion
Simba rebellion
Dragon Rouge
Dragon Noir
White Giant
Violettes Imperiales
South
Other major events
Dissolution of the Lumumba Government
Torture and killing of Lumumba
Death of Dag Hammarskjöld
Shaba Invasions
Shaba I
Shaba II
Battle of Kolwezi
Non-aggression pact of 1979
First Congo War
Background
Shaba Invasions
Second Sudanese Civil War
War in Uganda (1986–1994)
1991 Zaire unrest
Burundian Civil War
Rwandan Civil War
Assassination of Habyarimana
Rwandan genocide
Great Lakes refugee crisis
War
Formation of the AFDL
Massacres of Hutus
Operation Thunderbolt
Battle of Kisangani (1997) [fr]
Overthrow of Mobutu
Ascension of Laurent Kabila
Second Congo War
Operation Kitona
Lusaka Ceasefire
Gbadolite Agreement
Sun City Agreement
Six-Day War
Assassination of Laurent-Désiré Kabila
Kisangani massacre
Effacer le tableau
Bogoro massacre
Pretoria Accord
MONUSCO
ICC investigation
v
t
e
Ituri conflict
Bogoro
Artemis
North Night Final
Marabho
Ndjala
Plaine Savo
Nyamamba and Mbogi
Response
UN 1484
v
t
e
Kivu conflict
Lemera massacre
Kasika massacre
Makobola massacre
Makombo massacre
2008 Nord-Kivu campaign
2009 Eastern Congo offensive
M23 rebellion (2012–13)
2014 North Kivu offensive
2017 CNPSC offensive
Uvira clashes
Oicha
Virunga
Kipupu massacre
Kangbayi
Kagogo ambush
M23 offensive (2022–23)
Anti-MONUSCO protests
Kishishe massacre
1st Kitshanga
2nd Kitshanga
Masambo attack
Otomabere attack
August 2022 attacks
Kasindi church bombing
Makugwe massacre
Mukondi massacre
Other
Lord's Resistance Army insurgency
Katanga insurgency
Allied Democratic Forces insurgency
Dongo conflict
2011 coup d'etat attempt
Batwa–Luba clashes
2013 Kinshasa attacks
Kamwina Nsapu rebellion
Western DR Congo clashes
Child soldiers in the Congo
The Kamwina Nsapu rebellion, also spelled Kamuina Nsapu rebellion,[14] was an uprising that took place in the Democratic Republic of the Congo between 2016 and 2019. It was instigated by the Kamwina Nsapu militia against state security forces [15] in the provinces of Kasaï-Central, Kasaï, Kasaï-Oriental, Lomami and Sankuru.[16][12] The fighting began after the militia, led by Kamwina Nsapu, attacked security forces in August 2016.
There was an ethnic aspect to the conflict:[14] the rebels were mostly Luba[15] and had selectively killed non-Luba.[17]
^ abcde Freytas-Tamura, Kimiko (28 July 2017). "Who's in Congo's Mass Graves? And Why Are Soldiers Guarding Them?". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 26 September 2017. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
^Byaruhanga, Catherine (24 April 2017). "DR Congo's Kasai conflict: Voodoo rebels take on Kabila". BBC. Archived from the original on 26 September 2017. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
^"UN accuses Congo-backed militia of crimes against toddlers, others". The News Nigeria. 20 June 2017. Archived from the original on 20 June 2017. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
^Mercy Corps 2019, p. 34.
^ abCite error: The named reference genocide was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ abHoebeke, Hans (21 March 2017). "Kamuina Nsapu Insurgency Adds to Dangers in DR Congo". International Crisis Group. Archived from the original on 25 August 2017. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
^"Kamuina Nsapu: 5 ans après le conflit armé, les victimes attendent toujours que l'État leur rendre justice alors que les bourreaux circulent librement en toute impunité". Media Congo (in French). 19 August 2021. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
^Jean-Jacques Wondo Omanyundu (18 February 2017). Flash DESC : Les images barbares des soldats congolais au Kasaï Central Archived 3 September 2018 at the Wayback Machine (in French). Kasai Direct. Published 14 December 2017.
^ ab"UN reports 251 killings in DR Congo's Kasai, 62 children among dead". The Independent. 5 August 2017. Archived from the original on 7 August 2017. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
^Mercy Corps 2019, p. 46.
^Hess, Max (27 July 2017). "Democratic Republic of Congo: Kamwina Nsapu violence foretells deadly conflict". ake. Archived from the original on 7 August 2017. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
^ ab"Congo-Kinshasa: Kamuina Nsapu Insurgency Adds to Dangers in DR Congo". All Africa. 21 March 2017. Archived from the original on 28 March 2017. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
^Cite error: The named reference Threaten New was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ abCite error: The named reference reuters0317 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ ab"DRC's Kasai-Oriental province requires emergency assistance 600,000 says UN". International Business Times. 8 March 2017. Archived from the original on 8 March 2017. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
^Cite error: The named reference irinnews0817 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference aje0317 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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Global Information
Joseph Kabila (until Jan. 2019)