It was instigated by the Kamwina Nsapu militia against state security forces [15] in the provinces of Kasaï-Central, Kasaï, Kasaï-Oriental, Lomami and Sankuru.

[17] In 2011, Jean-Pierre Mpandi was designated to succeed his uncle and become the sixth head or Kamwina Nsapu (black ant) of his Bajila Kasanja clan, part of the wider Lulua ethnic group, after his return from South Africa where he had been convicted in a diamond-trafficking case.

[6] As the violence by Kamwina Nsapu's men escalated, the uprising spread, and an increasing number of locals picked up arms against the government.

[25] On 31 January 2017, a Roman Catholic priest from St. Alphonsus Parish in Kananga who tried to stop the militia from taking children from schools was kidnapped but was later released.

[35] Shortly after the attack, both Félicien Mwanama Galumbulula, the Bishop of Lwiza, and Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya, the Archbishop of Kinshasa, condemned the violence,[36] and Justin Milonga, the vice governor of Kasaï-Central, called for the Kamwina Nsapu fighters to negotiate with the government.

[10] Local Chokwe and Pende who felt threatened by the rebels set up self-defense groups, with Bana Mura and Ecurie Mbembe being the most notable ones.

Chokwe, Pende, and Tetela militant groups organized ethnic cleansing operations, driving Luba from large areas to deprive the rebels of supporters and recruits.

[39] As the conflict continued to spread and escalate in violence, the government sent hardened troops from eastern Congo to fight the Kamwina Nsapu militia.

[45] After the election resulted in the victory of opposition presidential candidate Félix Tshisekedi, about 743 Kamwina Nsapu insurgents along with three of their commanders (including Lokondo Luakatebua and Mubiayi Dewayi) surrendered in Kasaï in January 2019.

[47] Exploiting the growing insecurity, a series of major jailbreaks took place in Kananga during which several Kamwina Nsapu members managed to escape, including four militants who were suspected of having previously murdered two UN experts.

[43] One of them, Trésor Mputu Kankonde, allegedly attempted to rally and reorganize Kamwina Nsapu rebels before being recaptured by Congolese security forces.

[49] In March 2021, a Kamwina Nsapu militia leader, Laurent Nsumbu, was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Kananga Military Tribunal for war crimes.

[2] Common demands by members of the militia were, however, the return of and the proper burial of their slain leader, which the government conceded in March or April 2017,[6][14] reparations for the chief's family, the restoration of damaged hospitals and schools by the central authorities, "social and economic development of the region" and the release of imprisoned rebels as well as civilians.

[17][52] The Bana Mura militia, a group dominated by Chokwe, Pende, and Tetela,[42] committed a string of ethnically motivated attacks against the Luba and Lulua.

[16] It was reported to have committed atrocities such as cutting off toddlers' limbs, stabbing pregnant women and mutilating fetuses,[53] and it was blamed for the murder of 49 minors in 2017.

[9] The Kamwina Nsapu militia recruited thousands of child soldiers,[2] with some being as young as 5,[6] and Congolese authorities claimed that many in its ranks were under the influence of drugs.

[1][2] The UN Human Rights Council denounced "slavery-like" practices on parts of Bana Mura militants who were involved in fighting the rebellion.

[54][9] On 11 February 2017, the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) said in a statement that it was "concerned about the persistent conflict in the Kasais".

"[58] On 19 February 2017, Mark C. Toner, the Deputy Spokesperson of the US Department of State called for an investigation into the video of the alleged Mwanza Lomba massacre.

It calls on the Congolese authorities and security forces to shoulder their primary responsibility to protect civilians, fully respecting human rights".

[62] On 13 March 2017, two UN investigators (Zaida Catalán and Michael Sharp) were murdered in Kasai, with both the Congolese government and the Kamunia Nsapu militia naming each other as the culprits.