The Hema are a Bantuethnic group, related to the Banyoro and Banyankole, which were historically pastoralists. They migrated into Ituri from modern-day Uganda in the early 19th century, making them one of the last groups to settle in the region. Collectively, the Hema and Lendu people account for around 40 percent of the population in Ituri. There are generally thought to be 160,000 people who consider themselves ethnic Hema, mostly concentrated in Ituri Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They are a minority ethnic group, and one of 18 present in the same province. The Hema are usually considered to fall into two distinct ethnic sub-groups. The Northern Hema speak the Kilendu or Batha languages, and intermarried with the Lendu majority population. They are concentrated in Djugu Territory. The Southern Hema speak Kihema or Kinyoro languages, remaining largely segregated. They live mostly in Irumu Territory. Most Hema are Christians.
It is generally considered that the Hema became more ethnically distinct under Belgian colonial rule as they were seen as more civilised and loyal than other populations, especially the Lendu. Sometimes considered part of a mythical "Hamitic" people like the Tutsi in neighboring Rwanda and Burundi, some Hema imagined joining with related ethnic groups in the Great Lakes region to form a so-called Hima Kingdom. Hema political pre-eminence continued in Ituri after Congolese independence in 1960. Ethnic Hema continued to dominate local political appointments and business, at the expense of the Lendu who were largely excluded. Land reforms by Mobutu Sese Seko in 1973 allowed Hema to partly dispossess land held by Lendu peasants. The ethnic tensions between Lendu and Hema was the primary cause of the Ituri conflict which led to a collapse of state control in the region and genocidal violence. This was partly caused by the democratisation of Mobutu's regime which allowed the emergence of a Lendu elite before it collapsed entirely in the First Congo War. However, the Rwandan Genocide was also important because the divide between Tutsi and Hutu was commonly projected over the Hema and Lendu respectively by both sides. During the Second Congo War, the Hema were widely believed to have collaborated with the Ugandan occupiers and the Ituri conflict was sparked by the installation of a Hema provincial governor by the Ugandan military in Ituri. Ethnic militias were formed and United Nations and European Union peacekeepers were deployed. In the ensuing conflict the Hema-backed Union of Congolese Patriots fought the Lendu-backed Nationalist and Integrationist Front and various smaller groups. Sporadic fighting has continued since 1999. Uganda also became involved in the fighting which was aggravated by the presence of significant gold deposits in Ituri.
