21 years after the massacre at the UN refugee camp in Gatumba (August 13)

On the anniversary of the Gatumba massacre on August 13, the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) commemorates the victims of ethnically motivated violence and calls for the crimes to be investigated. “The international community must not look away when systematic violence and ethnically motivated crimes go unpunished. There must be an independent judicial investigation of the Gatumba massacre by international and regional courts,” demands Laura Mahler, STP expert on Sub-Saharan Africa.

On August 13, 2004, at least 166 people were brutally murdered and over 100 others seriously injured in the UN refugee camp in Gatumba, Burundi. Most of the victims belonged to the Banyamulenge ethnic minority, who had fled to the camp to escape the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The perpetrators, members of the Burundian rebel group Forces nationales de libération (FNL) and presumably allied militias, deliberately targeted civilians in the camp. The attackers set tents on fire, shot and mutilated people, many of them women and children. The cruelty of the attack deeply shocked the international community. Nevertheless, many victims and their relatives are still waiting for justice and recognition.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Banyamulenge have been subjected to persecution and repression for decades. There is an ongoing dispute about whether the Banyamulenge are really Congolese. Although they had lived in the highland regions of South Kivu for centuries, long before colonial borders were drawn, they were mistakenly labeled Banyaruanda during the Belgian colonial period. “This historically distorted image was later exploited by political actors. Increasing insecurity, violence, and targeted persecution forced many Banyamulenge to flee, including to the Burundian refugee camp of Gatumba,” explains Mahler.

“The Congolese government must finally accept responsibility and take concrete measures to protect minorities such as the Banyamulenge. This includes officially recognizing their citizenship, protecting them from hate speech and violence, and ensuring their political and social participation. An inclusive future for the Democratic Republic of Congo is only possible if ethnic diversity is recognized and promoted as a strength,” Mahler appeals.