Martyred for Their Faith!
IT WAS very early on a Sunday morning. A mob of some 500 people surrounded a house in the village of Pangi, in Kivu province, Zaire. Christians sleeping peacefully in the home were rudely awakened by the noisy crowd and loud banging on the door. The outcome? Seven Christian men were dragged outside, mercilessly beaten and forced to march seven kilometers (4 mi) to the village of Kilungulungu in the heart of the forest.
There these peace-loving Christian men had their throats cut and one was mutilated. Their bodies were buried under a riverbed after the water had been dammed up for the occasion. Later the dam was unstopped, and the river flowed over their common grave, leaving no trace of the horrible event!
Why This Massacre of Innocents?
This massacre of faithful witnesses of Jehovah was the climax of a wave of persecution that began in 1978 throughout the part of Kivu region dominated by the Rega tribe. Why did the massacre take place? Because Jehovah’s Witnesses refuse to comply with “Kimbilikiti.” Leaders of this ancestral religion of the Waregas believe that the Witnesses represent the greatest threat to their whole tribal structure and must therefore be eliminated.
From 1978 to 1983 several Kingdom Halls of Jehovah’s Witnesses were burned down by fanatical members of this cult. They threatened many Witnesses, chased them away from their homes, and confiscated their belongings. Often efforts were made to liquidate the Witnesses by means of sorcery and spells. Since none of these measures proved successful, the persecutors resorted to brutal mass murder.—Compare Numbers 23:23.
The Horrifying Incident
Let us, however, take a closer look at those tragic events of Sunday, August 14, 1983. Looking at the 1983 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses, how appropriate are the text and comment for that day! The day before the murder of the seven faithful Christian men, most members of the little congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses at Pangi had walked from surrounding villages to attend their usual Saturday meeting. They all stayed overnight so as to be on hand for their Sunday morning meeting for worship. Seven people stayed in the house of Kalumba Malumalu, a full-time minister and the presiding overseer of the congregation. That made a total of 11, including Brother Malumalu, his wife, and their 2 small children. Five others found lodging in the home of Brother Kikuni Mutege.
After the Saturday meeting, the Witnesses spent a pleasant evening around a fire, singing Kingdom songs and telling experiences. They noticed that small groups of people kept drifting by with unusual regularity, all of them heading in the direction of a village two kilometers (1.2 mi) from Pangi. How could the Witnesses know what that gathering of their enemies would mean?
At about five o’clock the next morning the house of the presiding overseer was surrounded by a crowd headed by Group Chief Mulamba Musembe. It was demanded that Brothers Kampema Amuri and Waseka Tabu accompany them to the Chief of the Collectivity (Katunda Banangozi) in order to perform “Salongo” (obligatory community work for the maintenance of roads, bridges, and the like). Brother Kampema politely explained that an arrangement already had been made with Chief Katunda to do the work on the following day. But the Group Chief chose to view this reply as disrespectful and ordered that Brother Kampema be beaten. This was followed by an order to beat the other brothers.
At that point the mob realized that “pastor” Kalumba Malumalu (the presiding overseer) had gone back into his house. So they all pushed against the house until they broke through one wall. At that, several of them rushed inside to find Brother Malumalu. In the ensuing scuffle the sisters were manhandled, but they and their children managed to flee to the local police chief for protection.
Meanwhile, two brothers staying at the other house were able to escape. One of them (Hemedi Mwingilu) hid in an unfinished house and witnessed the incident. The other brother (Lulima Kazalwa) fled into the forest.
Finally, seven brothers were seized, beaten, and taken away with their hands bound. During the entire five-kilometer (3-mi) march to the forest near Kilungulungu, they were bullied and struck by their captors. Although the brothers were barely conscious upon arrival there, they were determined not to compromise their faith—and that even though their death was evidently imminent. They met death bravely and with dignity, as have so many other faithful Christians of ancient and modern times.—Matthew 24:9; Revelation 2:10.
One other brother, Amisi Milende, was murdered shortly thereafter. He was away on a trip to Kama, but men sent there arrested him and brought him bound to Binyangi (15 kilometers [9 mi] from Pangi) to appear before Kibonge Kimpili, another Group Chief. While awaiting the Chief’s arrival, this zealous Witness encouraged one of his cousins spiritually and told his persecutors that although he was about to die, he would only be waiting for Jehovah God to resurrect him on this earth that was to become a paradise. This faithful young man was put to death by several men. His own uncle was an accomplice in this; he was especially bitter because two of his sons had become Jehovah’s Witnesses through Brother Milende’s assistance. In fact, these two sons, Malala Ramazani and Akilimali Walugaba, were among the seven other Witnesses slaughtered!
What of the Survivors?
These terrible events resulted in the murder of eight men who left behind widows and orphans. The survivors and the other local Witnesses and interested people became objects of increased hatred. So they eventually fled to Kindu, the nearest large town, and were well cared for by members of the three congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses there. The Watch Tower Society’s branch office in Kinshasa also helped these bereaved ones by sending them clothing, blankets, and money. This loving aid was greatly appreciated and resulted in a fine witness to unbelieving family members and other observers. (John 13:34, 35; James 1:27) Governmental authorities also intervened. The perpetrators were arrested and judicial measures were taken against them.
These shocking incidents raise many questions. What kind of religion is Kimbilikiti? Of what nature are beliefs and practices that could prompt this kind of persecution? And why should only Jehovah’s Witnesses and no other religion be the object of such hatred?
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Village of Pangi
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Path to execution site