Frédéric Bintsamou
Congolese warlord and religious leader (born 1964)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Frédéric Ntumi Bintsamou[1] (born 29 August 1964), also known as Pastor Ntumi, is a Congolese Protestant clergyman and former warlord. He was the leader of the "semi-religious" rebel group the Ninjas, which led a civil war in Congo-Brazzaville.
Frédéric Bintsamou | |
|---|---|
Bintsamou in 2007 | |
| Born | 29 August 1964 |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | The Ninjas (until 2024) |
Service years | 1990s–2024 |
| Other work | Protestant clergyman |
Biography
Born 29 August 1964, in Brazzaville,[2] Bintsamou began preaching in the early 1990s and cared for mentally-ill homeless people in Brazzaville. Following a revelation, he hid in the Pool Department and organized the Ninjas to fight in Republic of the Congo civil war of 1997–99,[3] during which he gained control over parts of Pool.[4] In 2003, he said a Holy Spirit told him to revive the militia, which he did, commanding them through the 2002–2003 conflict in the Pool Department.[5] The group dissolved—apart from holdouts—in 2006, and Bintsamou hid in Tsoumouna, a settlement 72 kilometers from Brazzaville.[6]
In April 2007, Bintsamou signed a peace agreement with the central government in Brazzaville. Under the agreement, Bintsamou was to disband his militia in exchange for a position as a deputy minister responsible for peace and reparations.[7]
Bintsamou was eventually installed in his official post as Delegate-General for the Promotion of the Values of Peace and Repair of the Ravages of War on 28 December 2009.[8][9] Standing as a candidate of the Conseil National des Républicains (CNR) political party, Bintsamou was elected as a local councilor in Mayama, located in the Pool Department, in the September 2014 local elections.[10]
In 2016, the Pool War began, which Bintsamou commanded in. On 30 September, he led the Ninjas in a train attack, which caused 14 deaths.[11] A ceasefire was signed on 23 December 2017,[12] and on 13 August 2024, he signed a ceasefire in which the Ninjas forfeited their arsenal.[13] As a result, an arrest warrant for Bintsamou was lifted.[14]