Attacks on civilians have killed 647 people in Ituri since May 2020, according to the United Nations. The resumption of the very old land conflict between Lendu and Hema plunges the two ethnic communities into a spiral of violence.
Nearly 850,000 residents had to flee last year. The Lendu are mostly farmers. They joined the lands of Ituri from the White Nile Valley in the 10th century. The Hema are nomadic herders who immigrated to Ituri from Uganda in the early 19th century. They are the majority in the region.
During Belgian colonization, the Hema were privileged in education policy, making them powerful and able to gain the upper hand at the end of colonization. As peace negotiations stall, villages are burnt down, women, men and children are raped and maimed.
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