Cannibalism in the Congo – How the DRC decolonised Warfare

In the video below  a survivor of ethnic conflict describes a raid on her village in 2025.  She watched as her daughter’s throat was cut and she bled to death,  Following this the raiders ate her daughter.

This is not an isolated incident in Africa.  From the 20th century onward, reports of cannibalism in Africa shifted from older ritual or famine contexts to incidents tied to civil wars, and dictatorships. In short, it has become a cultural military tool, not just a culinary one. 

Wikipedia:

Documented cases include Cameroon before WWI, the Leopard Society in West Africa, Liberia and Sierra Leone’s civil wars, Jean-Bédel Bokassa’s regime in the Central African Republic, and continued reports during the Congo Crisis and later conflicts. Since the 20th century, cannibalism in Africa has been reported mainly in contexts of civil wars (Liberia, Sierra Leone, South Sudan), secret societies (Leopard Society), and dictatorships (Bokassa in CAR), with occasional continuation in Congo Basin conflicts.  

During the civil conflict in CAR, cannibalism was reported among anti-Balaka militias, particularly in retaliation against Muslim Seleka fighters.  One infamous case involved a man nicknamed “Mad Dog” who was filmed allegedly eating a Muslim victim’s flesh in Bangui in 2014.  These acts were widely condemned and seen as symbolic violence meant to instil fear and assert dominance.

 In the South Sudanese Civil War, there were reports of forced cannibalism as part of torture and intimidation tactics. Victims were sometimes coerced into eating human flesh under threat of death.

The dictator **Idi Amin** was long rumoured to have engaged in cannibalism, though much of this remains anecdotal and part of his mythos. Some defectors and former officials claimed Amin kept human remains in his fridge, though these claims are difficult to verify.

 Liberia and Sierra Leone (Civil Wars) – During the brutal civil wars in the 1990s and early 2000s, **ritual killings and cannibalism were reported**, especially among child soldiers and warlords. Fighters sometimes consumed body parts of enemies believing it would give them strength or spiritual power.

The **Leopard Society** (Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast) practised ritual cannibalism until the mid-1900s.   – Members sacrificed dependents or slaves, consuming flesh in communal rites. Trials in the 1900s documented confessions and detailed practices.

During Liberia’s civil wars, **ritualized cannibal feasts** were reported, including child sacrifice by ULIMO fighters under Joshua Milton Blahyi (“General Butt Naked”).  Médecins Sans Frontières documented evidence in the 1980s; later reports confirmed widespread cannibalism in both Liberia and Sierra Leone conflicts.

 CAR Dictator, Jean-Bédel Bokassa (1966–1979) was accused of eating opponents and prisoners.  Testimonies during his 1986–87 trial included accounts from his chef, though cannibalism charges were not formally upheld.  Further acts were reported during the CAR Civil War (2012–) targeting Muslim minorities.