The Kasaï region (also referred to as the Greater Kasaï region,[1] Greater Kasaï,[1] Grand Kasaï,[2] or simply Kasaï[3]) is a geographic and cultural region in south-central Democratic Republic of the Congo. Once a single province, it now comprises the provinces of Kasaï Province, Kasaï-Central, Sankuru, Kasaï-Oriental, and Lomami Province.[1] It shares its name with the Kasai River.
Kasaï region | |
|---|---|
| Etymology: Kasai River | |
 Map of the former province of Kasaï | |
| Country | Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Provinces | |
| Area | |
• Total | 325,433 km2 (125,650 sq mi) |
| Population (2017) | |
• Total | 13,816,000 (est.)[1] |
| Demonym | Kasaians |
| Largest City | Mbuji-Mayi |
| Languages | French, Tshiluba |
Historically, the Kasaï region has been a stronghold for the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) party. As an opposition stronghold, it experienced both political and economic marginalization by the central government. This long-running resentment of the central government's remoteness and corruption exploded into a rebellion, triggered by the official rejection of a local chief, Kamwina Nsapu, who in August 2016 was killed by security forces. After UDPS candidate Félix Tshisekedi's victory in the 2018 presidential election, most militia members surrendered and returned to their communities of origin.[1]
Until 2015 Kasai region was divided administratively into two provinces, Kasai-Occidental and Kasai-Oriental. After 2015, the former Districts within these provinces were in some cases combined with cities that had been independently administered, and their status was elevated to the five current provinces.
2017 rebellion
editIn spring 2017, long-running resentment of central government's remoteness and corruption exploded into a rebellion, triggered by official rejection of a local chief, Kamwina Nsapu, who in August was killed by security forces. In the fighting that followed, nearly 1.4 million people were displaced, among them around 850,000 children, leading to a hunger crisis across the region as subsistence farmers were unable to plant crops.[4]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e "Operational Strategy for transition and recovery programming in the Kasai region" (PDF). Global Crisis Response Platform. February 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2024-01-14. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
- ^ "DRC: Violence in Kasai". RFI. 2017-08-21. Archived from the original on 2023-12-10. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
- ^ "IRIN Briefing Part VI: Kasai - Democratic Republic of the Congo | ReliefWeb". reliefweb.int. 1997-03-21. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
- ^ Surviving Congo's massacres: 'I climbed over bodies to flee' Archived 2018-05-31 at the Wayback Machine, BBC, 14 December 2017
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