Christian Lisangola@CLisangola75003
Let me give you a little background, from an eye witness(me).
Before Kuluna erupted in 2009, Kinshasa's streets were governed by a different breed of fighter. These were failed athletes like boxers, karateka, and judoka - who, robbed of professional opportunities, carved out territories in the city's underground. Known as "Pomba"which means strong man or "Maître which means master(because of martial arts)," these fighters operated when martial arts was woven into Kinshasa's DNA.
I’m not saying they were saints, but their violence had rules. They fought with fists and "mbata ya lichete" using machetes (panga) to slap using the flat side, not slice. While they extorted civilians through pocket raids and demands for cigarettes ("chimboke"), murder was forbidden. Groups like "Zulus," "Angola," and "Mbaka" became street legends, even immortalized in "Kotazo, dance yaba pomba" (Dance of the Strong Men). These guys, when you didn’t have money or anything for them, a « even another time » promise did the job.
Many eventually transitioned to legitimate security work, including protecting Kinshasa's musical elite. Despite their violent past, this generation of martial artists maintained a brutal but predictable order.
2008 marked the descent into hell. As the old guard aged out, they were replaced by untrained savages who brought a new level of barbarism. These weren't fighters - they were butchers who knew nothing of martial arts or honor. They wielded machetes not for combat, but for torture. They stormed hospitals to rape nurses and patients. The power transition was marked by bloodshed as they went into conflict with the old generation to claim territory.
By 2009, the "kuluna" reign of terror was in full swing. These weren't just criminals - they were monsters who reveled in atrocity. They would gut pregnant women for entertainment, mutilate victims for fun, and leave survivors permanently maimed as trophies ("elembo" which means sign). Some of these demons came from good families, making their savagery even more incomprehensible.
The 2013-2014 "operation likofi" ("punch") under General Kaniama was brutal but effective. Police would drag kuluna members from their beds between 2-5am, execute them in the streets, and leave their corpses as warnings. For the first time since 2009, people could walk freely. Businesses that closed because of insecurity reopened. When human rights organizations and the UN intervened, the pressure was too much to the government forcing the operation to end, the kuluna returned with unprecedented bloodlust.
I witnessed this transformation firsthand - I had to abandon my boxing career because martial artists became targets as any person who practiced martial arts was seen as the old generation guy to kill. We watched neighborhood kids transform into murderers. So, I’m a eye witness.
To those condemning government action: Until you've had your child murdered coming home from school, or your daughter raped and butchered for fun, you cannot comprehend the depths of this evil. These aren't troubled youth - they're devils wearing human skin.
We can analyze the why, the how and responsibilities, but I wanted to give some facts.
