Democratic Republic of the Congo – Researched and compiled by the Refugee Documentation Centre of Ireland on 23 February 2016

Information on risk to Mufero ethnic groups from Banyamalenge

No reference to an ethnic group in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) called the Mufero was found among sources available to the Research and Information Unit. Please refer to attached documents from Ethnologue and the Joshua Project which list the names of ethnic groups in the DRC.

An article published on the Advocacy Project website refers to tensions between the Banyamulenge and neighbouring ethnic groups as follows:

“When the Rwandans invaded the Congo and continued to have a presence in the Kivus, part of their explanation for their invasion was to prevent the ‘genocide’ of their ‘Tutsi’ brothers, the Banyamulenge. Simmering ethnic tensions already existing between the Banyamulenge and the ‘autochtone’ tribes (Babembe, Bafulero) were one of the reasons why South Kivu was invaded, catalyzed by the genocide of Tutsis in Rwanda and by the fact many of the perpetrators fled into the Congo and were regrouping there. Depending on whom you talk to here, you will always get a different response as to who is the truly ‘victimized’ ethnic group in South Kivu. While political and rebel movements may be along ‘tribal’ lines (the FDLR, for example, is a ‘Hutu’ nationalist group), ethnicity may be simply be an excuse to further a selfish agenda. Politicians and military leaders exploit these differences; in South Kivu, the Banyamulenge can be portrayed either as bloodthirsty killers of the ‘native’ tribes or as victims of ‘genocidal Congolese’ and their ‘Hutu genocidaire allies’. Neither portrayal is correct. Members of one ethnic group may be quick to recall the massacres of their tribesmen at the hands of another tribe, but won’t be able to recall the massacres committed by their own ethnic group against others; I’ve heard this quite a bit from Bembe people in Fizi Territory, who are quick to point out sites where Babembe were massacred by the predominately Banyamulenge RCD, but would be hard pressed to recount the anti-Banyamulenge pogroms/massacres that have also occurred in the area, before and after the RCD takeover.” (The Advocacy Project (14 March 2011) Morphology and Resentment)

A report published by the Rift Valley Institute, in a section titled “Communal tensions”, states:

“Ethnic animosity runs deep in this region and makes it easy to justify militancy. Part of these ethnic antagonisms have a material basis. There are concrete frictions between the Banyamulenge and their neighbouring communities, especially with regard to the transhumance of cattle from the Plateaux southwards to Ngandja and Lulenge. Farmers continue to fall victim to cows trampling their fields, while not receiving anything from the itulo (customary tax) that their chiefs pocket during transhumance. The resulting frustrations foster sympathy for Mai-Mai militia who loot and tax cattle. Each

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time such incidents occur, a rise in tensions is palpable, since both sides fear revenge actions either by allied military or by citizens themselves, who do not lack arms. In such a climate, even the smallest incident may have far-ranging consequences. The 2011 electoral period provides an illustration of how rumors and prejudice may have lethal consequences. When the Mai-Mai Yakutumba, a group drawn largely from the Bembe community, massacred seven Banyamulenge aid workers in October 2011, rumours of upcoming revenge actions triggered a brief but intense episode of tit-for-tat killings between Bembe and Banyamulenge in the Itombwe part of the Plateaux.” (Rift Valley Institute (2013) Banyamulenge: Insurgency and exclusion in the mountains of South Kivu, p.49)

The 2015 Minority Rights Group International report on the DRC, in a section titled “North and South Kivu provinces”, states:

“Inter-ethnic violence persisted elsewhere during the year. In February, Hunde and Hutu ethnically oriented militias in Masisi territory, North Kivu, were each accused of carrying out human rights abuses against civilians perceived to support the opposing group, resulting in at least 40 civilian deaths. At the root of the violence is control over land: Hunde leaders claim customary right to it, which has created tensions with Hutu residents. In June at least 30 people, mostly from the Bafuliro ethnic group, were killed in an attack on an outdoor church service and nearby buildings in the village of Mutarule, South Kivu. Bafuliro had been engaged in a conflict over cattle theft and local power with members of the Banyamulenge Tutsi and Barundi ethnicities living nearby. The head of the UN mission to Congo (MONUSCO) apologized for his troops' failure to intervene despite being repeatedly alerted to the attack. The roots of the Bafuliro-Barundi conflict date back to colonial times, in an ongoing struggle over land and leadership in the Ruzizi plain.” (Minority Rights Group International (2 July 2015) State of the World's Minorities and Indigenous Peoples 2015 - Democratic Republic of the Congo)

The US Department of State report on the events of 2014 in the DRC, in a section titled “Role of the Police and Security Apparatus”, states:

“The FARDC suffered from weak command and control, poor operational planning, low administrative and logistical capacity, lack of training, and the questionable loyalty of some of its soldiers, particularly those in the East. For example, on June 6, the FARDC did not respond to ethnic violence in Mutarule, South Kivu province, between members of the Bafuliro and Banyamulenge communities, which led to at least 34 persons killed, including 17 women and eight children. Several victims were burned alive, while others were shot. Authorities arrested two FARDC officers for complicity during the attack, and the provincial government initiated a commission of inquiry into the incident.” (US Department of State (25 June 2015) 2014 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - Democratic Republic Of The Congo, p.6)

See also UN Security Council report which, in a section titled “Human rights”, (paragraph 72), states:

“Serious human rights violations continued to be committed by armed groups and State agents. Investigations carried out by the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office in June and July indicated that at least 34 Bafuliiru had been killed, including 16 women and 8 children, and at least 24 people had

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been wounded. In addition, 10 houses and I church were burned down in an attack on 6 June by Banyamulenge and Barundi militias on Mutarule village, Uvira territory, in South Kivu. Some of the victims were allegedly burned alive and others were shot or hacked with machetes.” (UN Security Council (25 September 2014) Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, p.13)

This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research and Information Unit within time constraints. This response is not and does not purport to be conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please read in full all documents referred to.

References:

The Advocacy Project (14 March 2011) Morphology and Resentment http://advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/wjames/blog/tag/bafulero/ (Accessed 23 February 2016)

Joshua Project (undated) Country: Congo, Democratic Republic of https://joshuaproject.net/countries/CG (Accessed 23 February 2016)

Lewis, M. Paul, Gary F. Simons, and Charles D. Fennig (eds.) (2016) Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Nineteenth edition. Dallas, Texas: SIL International. Online version http://www.ethnologue.com/country/CD/languages (Accessed 23 February 2016)

Minority Rights Group International (2 July 2015) State of the World's Minorities and Indigenous Peoples 2015 - Democratic Republic of the Congo http://www.refworld.org/docid/55a4fa5cc.html (Accessed 23 February 2016)

Rift Valley Institute (2013) Banyamulenge: Insurgency and exclusion in the mountains of South Kivu http://riftvalley.net/download/file/fid/2749 (Accessed 23 February 2016)

UN Security Council (25 September 2014) Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo http://www.refworld.org/docid/5433bf254.html (Accessed 23 February 2016)

US Department of State (25 June 2015) 2014 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - Democratic Republic Of The Congo http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/236558.pdf (Accessed 23 February 2016)

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Sources Consulted

All Africa Ethnologue Google Joshua Project Lexis Nexis Refugee Documentation Centre Query Database UNHCR Refworld US Department of State

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