Mapping Report > Section I. Inventory of the most serious violations > CHAPTER I. March 1993 – June 1996: Failure of the democratisation process and regional crisis > Rest of the country

During this period, some provinces underwent a chaotic democratisation process accompanied by mounting xenophobia, ending in the persecution of non-originaires, or outsiders. The constant political arm-wrestling between President Mobutu and Étienne Tshisekedi of the UDPS and the manipulation of regionalist and tribalist sentiment by local political actors gave rise to many instances of abuse and acts of violence against opponents and non-originaires in the different provinces.

Bas-Zaire (Bas-Congo)

In 1994, the Governor of Bas-Zaire province, Bieya Mbaki, staged a number of public meetings, mainly in September, in which he encouraged the indigenous people of the province to drive out all non-originaires holding positions of authority in the region. Using xenophobic slogans that inflamed ethnic hatred, the Governor and the local authorities reportedly expelled several natives of the Kasai provinces and issued an ultimatum to the non-originaires to leave the province before 24 November 1994, the anniversary of Mobutu’s 1965 coup. The following alleged two incidents are cited as examples of this campaign of persecution.

• In July 1994, the state-owned maritime transport authority Régie des Voies Maritimes laid off a number of non-originaire In the months that followed, the people drove out two non-originaire magistrates, including the President of the Tribunal de Paix in Luozi.¹⁴³

• On 15 October 1994, units of the Zairian security forces expelled 14 non-originaire families from Bas-Zaire province, including the Baluba (from the Kasai provinces) and the Bangala (from Équateur).¹⁴⁴

Orientale Province

• In 1995, the Governor and local authorities of Orientale province arbitrarily suspended several magistrates and expelled a local UDPS leader from the province. The victims were all natives of the Kasai provinces, known for their involvement with the political opposition and in civil society.¹⁴⁵

• Between 1995 and 1996, on several occasions and on the orders of the Governor, units of the security services cordoned off the homes of certain intellectuals and members of the clergy accused of being opposition supporters.¹⁴⁶

Maniema

In this period, changes in the political situation underway in Kinshasa had only a delayed and limited effect on Maniema province. The province remained under the control of Governor Omari Léa Sisi and President Mobutu’s party, the MPR (Mouvement pour la révolution). In 1994, in response to opposition attempts to organise themselves in the field, the Governor demanded the deployment of a Civil Guard contingent to reinforce the Gendarmerie Nationale Over the course of 1995, the Gendarmerie and the Civil Guard allegedly committed dozens of rapes, inflicted torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment on many civilians and looted many properties. Public reports have mentioned the existence of dozens of serious cases. The following two alleged cases were documented by the Mapping Team and are reported below by way of example.

• On 6 February 1995 at Kampene in the Pangi territory, units of the Civil Guard raped an unknown number of women and looted all the stores in the market. The Civil Guard had been deployed in Kampene to investigate the destruction of the CELPA (Pentecostal Church in Africa) church by members of the Rega community.¹⁴⁷

• On 7 February 1995, Civil Guard units raped an unknown number of women and pillaged the village of Tchoko in the Kailo territory, near Kindu. The incident occurred after residents beat a member of the Civil Guard who had clashed with a village farmer.¹⁴⁸

Kasaï Occidental

In October 1993, as Zaire sank deeper and deeper into economic crisis, Faustin Birindwa’s Government launched a programme of monetary reform and introduced a new currency, the “New Zaire”. However, the use of the currency was swiftly opposed by Étienne Tshisekedi and the Catholic Church. In opposition strongholds, such as the two Kasai provinces, the people rallied to reject the monetary reform. In response, President Mobutu sent military reinforcements into the province of Kasai Occidental.

• In the month that followed 29 November 1993, soldiers from the Special Presidential Division (DSP) allegededly killed six civilians in Kananga, including a Catholic priest, and looted a number of Catholic establishments, among them the Procure Saint-Clément, as well as a number of department stores, including Africa Luxe, Ruff Congo and Simis. This deliberate attack, targeted predominately at the Catholic clergy and its property, was committed at a time when President Mobutu was criticising Catholic leaders for campaigning against the use of the “New Zaire”.¹⁴⁹