Lendu language

The Lendu are an ethnic group in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The sedentary farmers have been fighting for several years against the nomadic pastoralists of the ethnic group of the Hema. According to media reports in the territory of Ituri in the north- east of the country, near the border with Rwanda and Uganda, thousands of people on the run.

Reason for the fighting between the two communities are disputes over land ownership, particularly in relation to new resource discoveries in the Republic of Congo. In particular, the gold and the oil discoveries play a crucial role in recent years.

Irregulars, ie, a paramilitary unit from volunteers of the Lendu ethnic group, fighting together with the party front of the nationalists and integrationists ( FNI) and the People's Army for Democracy in Congo ( FPDC ) and rebels of the RCD -ML -K against the traditionally hostile ethnic group Hema. The Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda have started on February 17 with peace negotiations, which includes not only the withdrawal of Ugandan troops, an establishment of the IPC, a pacification Commission. The troops of the Lendu are non-combatants and therefore not subject to international humanitarian law.

The fighting in the region include a humanitarian problem, as always child soldiers forcibly recruited by the paramilitaries.

Under this background, the United Nations sent a team to the 1999 observation in the country. The UN mission MONUC is now stationed since the crisis region. Since this observation team's struggles could not settle, it was decided by the UN Security Council that an international peacekeeping force is deployed ( under the leadership of the French military ).

• Ethnic group in the Democratic Republic of Congo
• Ethnicity in Africa