Banyamulenge villages burn in Eastern Congo during a campaign of ethnic cleansing (via Preparing a Place Ministry, Adam Welch).
The lawless eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has become a killing field for vulnerable indigenous people groups such as the Banyamulenge tribe, the latest victims in a complex, multilayered conflict in the mineral-rich Great Lakes region of Central-East Africa. At least 5 villages of the Banyamulenge were raided and burnt to the ground in August, followed by further attacks in the area of Fizi on October 13. Government forces and allied militias murdered residents and stole their cattle, which are both a source of food and income for the pastoral Banyamulenge.
The eastern Kivu states of DRC, which border Burundi and Rwanda, have been a flashpoint of conflict since the Rwandan Genocide spilled over its border in 1994. Deadly inter-tribal conflict has been exacerbated in recent years by an influx of Islamist militias from neighboring countries, such as the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), which have sworn allegiance to the Islamic State. The latest surge in violence against the Banyamulenge people is the result of a campaign of ethnic cleansing by different militant groups, including the RED-Tabara, which is waging an insurgency against the neighboring regime of Burundi. The Banyamulenge live in the High Plateau region of eastern Congo, a strategic staging ground for the RED-Tabara, who are now working with the Congolese government and other militant groups to push the beleaguered tribe off their land.
Banyamulenge villagers who escape with their lives are left without food and shelter during the rainy season, exposing them to malaria and other threats. Preparing a Place Ministries is the only Christian organization responding with rescue teams to provide for the essential needs of the displaced Banyamulenge, but the need is growing greater and more dire.
We encourage the global Maranatha family to join us in prayer for the Banyamulenge, a harassed and helpless people in the midst of a lawless, militarized region. We pray that the Lord of Hosts would encamp his angelic armies around the Banyamulenge, that He would stir the international community to intervene on their behalf, and that He would stir His church to send aid and gospel laborers into the Great Lakes region of Africa.
Maranatha.
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Sources:
Whistleblower for Eastern Congo Genocide // The Murdering of The Banyamulenge Tribe - YouTube
Burundi Tasks Rwanda to Return Red Tabara Rebels fled to Nyungwe Forest. – Africa (rpfgakwerere.org)
The Role of the Congolese Government in Discriminating Part of its Population (Version Française) (drcongoinsight.com)
