In battle with magic: the challenge of the Mai Mai militiamen to the government of Congo

The militiamen were sitting on the ground in the forest. Naked and in a trance. They practiced magical beliefs to protect themselves in battle: they wanted to become invulnerable and invisible. The Congolese army surprised them at the moment of the invocation. The 70 Mai Mai were arrested before launching an attack on the capital of the Katanga mining province, Lubumbashi. For some time the Bakata Katanga have spread terror in this rich region of the Democratic Republic of Congo, claiming its secession.