The Banyamulenge are ethnic community living in South Kivu, namely in Fizi, Mwenga,and Uvira territories. One of the root causes of this form of violence is the role played by colonialism in the current discrimination and killings of the Banyamulenge. Grounded on the dismissal and abolition of their chieftaincies by the Belgian colonial administration, repeated discourses paint members of this community as not real Congolese. For many decades, members of the Banyamulenge community have been systematically discriminated against, targeted, and massacred by the Congolese security services but also local and foreign militias operating in South Kivu.
Local militias are largely affiliated to the Banyamulenge’s neighbouring communities who have been attacking Banyamulenge civilians with the help of the central and provincial government officials. In many cases, political figures, military and police generals and officers have directly been involved in mobilising youth gangs to attack the Banyamulenge. Even though the massacres described here are of a lengthy period, bringing them together gives clues of their similarities but also motivating factors behind the perpetration of violence against the Banyamulenge. This meu constitutes the core part of the genocide memorial.