[1] Historically, Minembwe was predominantly settled by the Bembe and Buyu peoples;[2] however, the region is renowned for its profound ethnocultural diversity, serving as a nexus for myriad ethnicities such as the Bafuliiru, Banyindu, Bamushi, Baholoholo, Babwari, Bavira, Balega, Bahunde, Banyanga, Bashu, Baamba, Banyamulenge, and Baswaga.

[2][5][6] During the Belgian colonial era, the Bembe and Buyu communities were integrated into the Fizi Territory, which was subsequently segmented into five sectors: Itombwe, Lulenge, Mutambala, Ngandja, and Tangani'a.

During the 1920s, swathes of the South and North Kivu's territories were adjudged sparsely populated, prompting the Belgian colonial administrators to enlist labor from extraneous locales to foster regional development.

[16]The Banyarwanda who settled in Lulenge from the late 1950s to the 1980s, alongside earlier migrants to the eastern Congo Free State in the nineteenth century, collectively known as "Banyamulenge," aspired to establish their own self-governing territory like other ethnic groups.

However, they were required to meet criteria set by the Belgian colonial authorities and later upheld by the Congolese state post-independence to be recognized as a distinct ethnic group.

[1][21] In 1972, Barthélémy Bisengimana Rwema, a Tutsi cabinet director under Mobutu during his second republic, promulgated a presidential "Ordinance № 69-096", which collectively granted Zairean nationality to all Banyarwanda.

[22] The inability to apply the 1972 Ordinance, due to not meeting the basic criteria, exacerbated tensions and conflicts in the region, with other Congolese tribes perceiving themselves as expropriated by Tutsis.

Between 1991 and 1993, ethnic tensions erupted violently during Kivu's representation at the National Sovereign Conference (Conférence Nationale Souveraine) in Kinshasa, aimed at establishing a democratic regime in Zaire.

This led to the formation of youth militias initiating attacks and murders in Kivu, but were subsequently halted following the intervention of the Special Presidential Division to restore some semblance of order.

[25][26] At the onset of the Second Congo War, the Banyamulenge allied with Rwandan Tutsi refugees dispersed across Kivu to combat discriminatory nationality and land laws.

[28][29][27] Following Mobutu's ousting, the RCD, a Rwandan-backed rebel faction led by Azarias Ruberwa, established Minembwe as an independent Tutsi region in 1999, alongside Bunyakiri in Kalehe Territory.

[32][33] The Banyamulenge, having supported AFDL and RCD forces during the Second Congo War, were accused of attacking refugee camps and densely populated villages, committing civilian executions, and engaging in terrorism against Zairean civilians across South and North Kivu, including Bwegera, Luberizi, Luvungi, Katala, Rubenga, Lubarika, Kakumbukumbu, Mutarule, Kagunga, Kiliba, Ndunda, Biriba, Sange, Rwenena, Kahororo, Kamanyola, Lemera, Kidote, Makobola, Kasika, Kilungutwe, Kilungutwe River and Katogota.

The installment of Minembwe as a rural commune and the appointment of Gad Mukiza, a Tutsi, as mayor on 28 September 2020, sparked significant controversy and opposition from other Congolese tribes who assert territorial claims.

On 8 October 2020, the initiative to create Minembwe as a rural commune was annulled by President Félix Tshisekedi, citing irregularities and aiming to mitigate tensions,[41] stating[42] "For me, the salvation of the people is the supreme law.