_-_Ituri.svg) Map showing the location ofIturi Province in theDemocratic Republic of the Congo | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| c.160,000[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Ituri Province,Democratic Republic of the Congo | |
| Languages | |
| Northern Hema:Lendu language Southern Hema:Hema language Both sides:French | |
| Religion | |
| Catholicism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| OtherRutara people(Banyoro,Batooro,Bakiga,Banyankore,Bahororo,Basongora,Baruuli andBahaya) |
TheHema people orBahema (plural) are aBantuethnic group who are concentrated in parts ofIturi Province in the easternDemocratic Republic of the Congo.
The Hema are aBantu ethnic group, related to theBanyoro,Batooro,Bahaya,Basongora,Bahororo,Baruuli andBagungu. They were historicallypastoralists and migrated into Ituri from modern-dayUganda in the early 19th century, making them one of the last groups to settle in the region.[2] The Hema are usually considered to fall into two distinct ethnic sub-groups:
There are generally thought to be 160,000 people who consider themselves Hema, mostly concentrated inIturi Province in theDemocratic Republic of the Congo.[1] Collectively, the Hema andLendu people account for around 40 percent of the population in Ituri. They are a minority ethnic group, and one of 18 present in the same province.[2] Most Hema areChristians.[3]
It is generally considered that the Hema became more ethnically distinct underBelgian colonial rule when they were seen as more civilised than other populations in Ituri. Considered part of the mythical"Hamitic" people like the Babiito, Banyoro and Songora in neighboringUganda,Rwanda andBurundi, some Hema imagined joining with the aforementioned ethnic groups to form a Hima Kingdom. Hema political pre-eminence continued in Ituri afterCongolese independence in 1960. Ethnic Hema continued to dominate local political appointments and business, at the expense of the Lendu who were largely excluded. Land reforms introduced by the regime ofMobutu Sese Seko, in 1973, allowed Hema to partly dispossess land held by Lendu peasants.[4]
The ethnic tensions between Lendu and Hema was the primary cause of theIturi conflict (1999-2003) which led to a collapse of state control in the region and genocidal violence. This was partly caused by the democratisation of Mobutu's regime which allowed the emergence of a Lendu elite before it collapsed entirely in theFirst Congo War (1996–97). However, theRwandan Genocide was also important because the divide between Tutsi andHutu was commonly projected over the Hema and Lendu respectively by both sides. During theSecond Congo War, the Hema were widely believed to have collaborated with the Ugandan occupiers and the Ituri conflict was sparked by the installation of a Hema provincial governor by the Ugandan military in Ituri. Ethnic militias were formed andUnited Nations andEuropean Union peacekeepers were deployed. In the ensuing conflict the Hema-backedUnion of Congolese Patriots (Union des Patriotes congolais, UPC) fought the Lendu-backedNationalist and Integrationist Front (Front des Nationalistes et Intégrationnistes, FNI) and various smaller groups. Sporadic fighting has continued since 1999. Uganda also became involved in the fighting which was aggravated by the presence of significantgold deposits in Ituri.
