The Pool War caused at least 115 deaths and displaced roughly 13,000 people in the Republic of the Congo's Pool Department between 2016 and 2017.
Key Facts
- Conflict period
- April 2016 – April 2017
- Total deaths
- 115 people
- Displaced persons
- ~13,000 people
- Location
- Pool Department, southeastern Congo
- Militia involved
- Ninja militia
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Tensions arose between Frédéric Bintsamou (Pastor Ntumi), leader of the Ninja militia, and Congolese president Denis Sassou-Nguesso after Bintsamou contested modifications to the national constitution. Despite previously serving as a collaborator of Sassou-Nguesso, Bintsamou's opposition to the constitutional changes broke their alliance and set the stage for armed confrontation in the Pool Department.
The Pool War was an armed conflict between the Republic of the Congo's government forces and the Ninja militia operating in the Pool Department in the country's southeastern region. Fighting persisted from April 2016 through at least April 2017, resulting in 115 confirmed deaths and widespread population displacement across the affected area.
The conflict displaced an estimated 13,000 people from their homes in the Pool Department. The violence destabilized the southeastern region and underscored ongoing political and ethnic tensions within the Republic of the Congo following the constitutional controversy that triggered the breakdown between Bintsamou and the Sassou-Nguesso government.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Denis Sassou-Nguesso.
Side B
1 belligerent
Frédéric Bintsamou (Pastor Ntumi).