The Mulele's War

The Banyamulenge fought many wars at different times and won them all. However, in the year 1964, a more severe war broke out than all the previous ones. This war became known assimba rebellion but Banyamulenge named it "Mulele's War."

It began as a rebellion led by former members of the Mouvement National Congolais (MNC), who still supported the policies of Patrice Lumumba, who had been assassinated. These rebels formed a military group called the Conseil National de Libération (CNL), led by Egide Davidson Boshele and assisted by Pierre Mulele (who became the namesake of the war). They started fighting against the government of Joseph Kasa-Vubu and Joseph Mobutu.

The fighting began in early 1964 and grew very intense. This rebel group took control of a large part of Congo, reaching even the eastern areas where the Banyamulenge live.

By 1965, the rebel forces had reached the plain of Tanganyika region. The government troops, together with the United Nations forces, fought against them. This caused the rebels to flee to the high mountains inhabited by the Banyamulenge and other neighboring communities.

When the rebels arrived there, they demanded that all local people provide their young men to join their fight, threatening to kill anyone who refused.

The Banyamulenge, along with other neighboring tribes, all contributed young men to fight in this rebellion. The leaders of the CNL branch in the area where the Banyamulenge lived were Antoine Marandura and Louis Bidarira, both were Bapfurero (a tribe). In this time they gave themselves their popular name “SIMBA MULELE.”

After about ten months of being part of this rebel group, the Banyamulenge began to face severe mistreatment in the movement. They were badly oppressed Because of their tribe, as a result, they chose to break away from the rebellion.

After separating from the Mulele rebellion, the group started stealing their cattle and intensified the persecution, even killing some Banyamulenge.

The leaders of Mulele rebels, Bapfurero together with the Babembe people, launched an attack with the intention to kill and completely destroy the entire Banyamulenge Tribe.

On February 4, 1966, they carried out a major assault, but the Banyamulenge, led by Mushishi Karoli, a very brave warrior, fought back using few guns and spears. However, the attackers succeeded in killing Mushishi when he refused to flee.

After the death of Mushishi, the Banyamulenge were severely persecuted and many were killed, especially in places like Gatongo, Kirumba, and other areas where people disappeared. This violence against the Banyamulenge community forced many of them to flee to Baraka, in the plain of Tanganyika region.

When the Banyamulenge arrived in this new region, life was very difficult for them. They lost many people due to disease (malaria), and their cattle died because they were not used to the climate. As their living conditions worsened in exile, the Banyamulenge men went to ask the government for weapons so they could fight against the rebels.

Then brave men rose up, including Muhindanyi Sila, Toma Muyoboke, Karojo, Muganng'wa Eliya, Gakingiye Norbert, and many others, who requested weapons and received them from a soldier named Colonel Kaniki. From that point, they formed a Banyamulenge military group calling themselves “ABAGIRIYE” means warriors (les guérriers), consisting of only about two hundred and sixty Banyamulenge fighters.

The Abagiriye were the ones who carried out military operations to drive out all these rebel groups of different ethnicities from the region, just as God had promised them through the prophet Bicinoni Nyiringoma—that He would be with them and grant them victory. They fought against Mulele’s rebels until early 1968,  when one of the Abagiriye, named Gitongo, shot the remaining rebel leader, Laurent Desire Kabira, hitting him in the leg with a bullet that left him physically disabled. He was no longer able to walk normally until he died, although this was not obvious to everyone. Despite this injury, Kabira survived and fled to Tanzania, the remaining rebels in this group scattered, and the Banyamulenge God’s people, defeated them.

After their victory in the war, the government recruited most of the Abagiriye into the national army because of their bravery and role in the fight. After the war, Banyamulenge started to build schools and the first Munyamulenge was elected as a senator in the national parliament "Muhoza Gisaro Frederick" and others also started taking leadership roles in churches and government.

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