A/HRC/41/31 Representatives of humanitarian organizations, United Nations agencies and MONUSCO were also present. Various topics were discussed during the workshop, including traditional reconciliation practices in the Kasai region, the responsibilities of the State, the issue of disarmament and the socioeconomic situation. 1. Traditional reconciliation practices in the Kasai region 59. During the workshop in Kananga, three reconciliation rituals from the Kasai region were discussed, namely: (a) drinking from the same cup (kunua cibalu in Luba); (b) warding off evil (mucipu cikandakanda); and (c) making a pact for peace (kutua ndondo wa bupole). It was also explained that communities in Kasai are, for the most part, lineagebased and acephalous. Traditionally, they lived separately from one another and were led by their elders (bakulu). The elders played the role of arbiters in matters concerning their lineage. They served as advisers and priests who led the worship of ancestors. Within each lineage, individuals were related through their paternal family (patrilineal descent) or their maternal family (matrilineal descent). If there was a conflict between two lineages or within a lineage, the elders, as representatives of the deceased, were supposed to settle the dispute amicably. The persons in conflict were then invited, as a gesture of reconciliation, to drink from the same cup and to wash their hands. In some cases, sacrifices were made to appease the spirits of the ancestors.43 60. Conflict of any kind was considered an evil that disrupts communities. Steps were therefore taken to ward off conflict, bring an end to it and reconcile the warring parties. Women played a crucial role in this regard. With brooms, mixing implements and other objects in their hands, they performed rituals to ward off evil, singing and calling on the men to stop fighting and to be reconciled.44 61. It was also noted that there was bloodshed in Kasai on the eve of national independence. There were clashes between the Luba and Lulua peoples in 1959, in and around Luluabourg.45 In a vain attempt to bring an end to this crisis, the traditional leaders of the Luba and Lulua peoples signed two conventions, one in Munkamba on 12 January 1960 before the arbitration mission that was chaired by the Belgian lawyer Rae, and the other in Brussels on 27 February 1960 in the presence of the Minister of the Belgian Congo and Rwanda-Urundi.46 62. This conflict was eventually resolved through the use of a traditional practice, which took the form of the Ntenda Pact of 20 October 1961. On this occasion, as a gesture of reconciliation, the traditional leaders of the Luba, Lulua, Kanyok, Kuba, Songye, Kete and Bindji peoples and the political leaders of the Luba and Lulua peoples took part in several ritual ceremonies. The final reconciliation was marked by festivities that took place from 21 to 25 October 1961 in the cities of Luluabourg and Bakwanga, in the presence of the then Head of State, Joseph Kasavubu.47 63. With that in mind, the team of international experts invites all political actors and other segments of society in Kasai to take inspiration from these events and to initiate an inclusive and sustainable reconciliation process that is appropriate to the present-day situation in Kasai. 2. The responsibilities of the State 64. The workshop in Kananga also covered the issue of State responsibilities and the related questions of what the State has already done and how, and what more it needs to do in order to achieve reconciliation. It was noted that legal proceedings had been brought against members of the Kamuina Nsapu militia and traditional leaders who are currently in prison. However, considering the scale of what took place, these measures are inadequate 43 44 45 46 47 14 Presentation by Cipamba Ntumba, a professor at Kananga Teacher Training University. Ibid. Now known as Kananga. Presentation by Cipamba Ntumba, a professor at Kananga Teacher Training University. Ibid. GE.19-07485