A/HRC/38/31 B. Kamuina Nsapu militia 25. The Kamuina Nsapu militia, which is mostly Luba, emerged owing to a customary power struggle. Following the death of the former Kamuina Nsapu chief, Ntuma Mupala, chief of the Bajila-Kasanga clan in Dibaya territory of Kasaï Central Province, Jean-Prince Mpandi was named as successor. The Bajila-Kasanga chieftainship belongs to the Bashilange federal kingdom, whose chiefs since the colonial period have ruled all the way to neighbouring Angola. The Kamuina Nsapu chief is the military leader of the Bashilange kingdom. 26. Mr. Mpandi’s request to be recognized as the Kamuina Nsapu customary chief was denied by the Minister of the Interior, Évariste Boshab, for political reasons. The authorities tried to support Ntenda Tshiambi, the customary chief of the village of Ntenda and a rival of Mr. Mpandi, who was politically close to the then-Governor of Kasaï Central, Alex Kande. 27. On 3 April 2016, Mr. Mpandi’s home was searched, in his absence, for weapons. This incident reportedly exacerbated his animosity against the authorities and his rival, Mr. Tshiambi, whom he suspected of being behind the search. 28. Upon his return from South Africa Mr. Mpandi accused the authorities of desecrating his jujus and of attempting to sexually abuse his wife. He thus announced that he would set up a “political and customary” movement on the basis of the practices and legitimacy of customary power and the system of traditional beliefs. His movement opposed the State authorities and “foreigners” who were responsible, in his view, for harassing the people and for the lack of economic opportunity. 29. In his village and Dibaya territory, Kamuina Nsapu, the customary chief, recruited militia members, the majority of whom were children, and in June 2016 began to set up barriers to control movement by State officials. The first armed attack by the Kamuina Nsapu militia was directed against the village of the rival chief, Mr. Tshiambi. Later, the militia attacked symbols of the State in Dibaya territory. As efforts by the political authorities to find a negotiated solution with the Kamuina Nsapu customary chief were ineffective, the authorities quickly opted for the use of force. 30. On 12 August 2016, the Kamuina Nsapu chief was killed in an attack on his village by the defence and security forces, and his body was transported to Kananga, provoking indignation among the Bashilange. The fact that the Kamuina Nsapu family was part of the kingdom of Bashilange led to the rapid expansion of the militia. Thanks to an organized recruitment system and the placement of tshiotas (initiation halls containing sacred fires), the militia spread. Emissaries of the late Kamuina Nsapu, sometimes called “apostles”, travelled from village to village in an ever expanding area to set up their tshiotas, beheading village chiefs who opposed their movement. Tshiotas were thus set up in the five provinces of Kasaï. Villagers were called upon to voluntarily join the movement. Those who refused were often beheaded. 31. In the tshiotas, in the presence of an “apostle” or a high-level chief often called the “president”, the recruits, including young children, had to subject themselves to a “baptism” ritual, which involved drinking an alcoholic mixture and performing other rites. Once this was done, the recruits were part of the militia, where ancestral beliefs and rituals played an extremely important role. In order to ensure that militia members would be invincible against firearms, these beliefs required the observance of strict rules. The tshiotas were also favoured as places for beheadings, often performed by children, as well as for acts of cannibalism. Heads and other body parts of victims of attacks were brought there, along with their blood. 32. Units were organized and attacks were planned as well in the tshiotas. Before clashes, the militia members took part in rituals involving the swallowing of alcoholic mixtures. Typically, when the fighting occurred, the Kamuina Nsapu militia was deployed with one or more girls called “ya mama” in the front line. According to their beliefs, they had the power to catch firearm projectiles with their skirts. Just behind them were boys armed with knives and sticks. According to the beliefs, they had the magical power to GE.18-10936 7