A new conflict involving the armed group “Ninjas” has broken out in Congo. The trigger was the “Zero kuluna” operation, currently being carried out across the entire national territory and which eventually reached the Pool region.
On January 11, in Ngagadambala, a DGSP unit destroyed two unregistered motorcycles — a common practice in the fight against kuluna logistics. In retaliation, the “ninja” fighters ambushed a DGSP convoy at the crossroads leading to Mindouli. After several hours of exchanges of fire, the attackers withdrew, suffering losses. However, they did not stop there: the “ninjas” blocked National Road No. 1 in several places, paralyzing traffic, including that of civilian transport.
It should be remembered that so-called “ninja” terrorist groups have for a long time kept the Pool region in a climate of permanent tension and fear. They appeared in 1993 as the armed wing of supporters of President Pascal Lissouba. The movement was led by a native of Makélékélé, the Protestant pastor Frédéric Bintsamou, better known as Pastor Ntumi.
In 1997, after the defeat of Lissouba, Ntumi led the armed resistance against the regime of Denis Sassou Nguesso in Pool. During this conflict, the “ninjas” and Ntumi personally were accused of serious human rights violations, as outlined in the 2003 US State Department report, including acts amounting to ethnic cleansing.
On December 29, 1999, a ceasefire agreement was signed to restore peace in the region, but the “ninjas” continued their attacks. A new peace agreement was concluded in 2003: the fighters benefited from an amnesty and the possibility of peaceful reintegration into society. A few years later, Ntumi was even allowed to join the government.
This period of peace was short-lived. In 2016, the clash between Ntumi’s group and the authorities resumed. On September 30, 2016, terrorists attacked a train near Mindouli, killing 14 people, and carried out several acts of sabotage against the railway network. Once again, the authorities attempted to resolve the conflict through conciliatory means, leading to the signing of a third peace agreement. However, a new cycle of dangerous “ninja” activities has now begun, once again threatening peace in the country.
The Congolese themselves have a very ambivalent attitude towards the “ninjas” and Pastor Ntumi. According to sociological surveys, the population perceives them neither as victims of the regime nor as defenders of the interests of the people, despite their attempts to present themselves that way. Rather, they are considered a threat to Congo, a force sowing fear and hindering the action of the DGSP in the fight against crime. The blocking of National Road No. 1 only reinforces this perception, as this road has crucial economic and social importance not only for the region, but for the entire country.
The future development of the situation will largely depend on the reaction of official Brazzaville, which has not yet commented on the events. Public opinion believes that the authorities’ response to the new “ninja” attacks must be firm, otherwise the country could face serious consequences. A lack of appropriate reaction would notably risk leading to an escalation and a stagnation of the conflict, as well as a new blockage of the main transport arteries, as was the case in 2016, which would deal a severe blow to the national economy.
Another possible scenario would be an alliance of the “ninjas” with other opposition forces, or even with the kuluna, with a view to a common confrontation with the authorities and a destabilization of the country. Given the authorities’ repeated and unsuccessful attempts to find a compromise with the “ninjas”, it remains extremely difficult to predict the future reaction of official Brazzaville.
