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DR Congo: Soldier opens fire at son's funeral

July 23, 2023

The soldier killed over a dozen civilians after learning his son had being buried in his absence, according to DRC military and a local official. Most of the victims are children.

https://p.dw.com/p/4UI2N
Congolese soldiers march along dirt trail between tall grass and trees
A Congolese soldier opened fire on family members and other civilians after returning to his villageImage: Alain Uaykani/Xinhua/IMAGO

A Congolese soldier has killed at least 13 civilians, the military and local authorities said on Sunday.

The shooting occurred in the fishing village of Nyakova in the Democratic Republic of Congo's eastern Ituri province. 

Army spokesman Jules Ngongo said that the man opened fire after learning that his son, who apparently died of natural causes on Thursday, was buried before the soldier arrived.

Ngongo said that two of the soldier's own children were among those shot dead.

The spokesperson said that members of the Congolese military were dispatched to apprehend the soldier, who fled the scene of the attack. He called the incident an "act of indiscipline that will be dealt with by the courts."

Village chief Oscar Baraka Muguwa said that the man carried out the attack after returning from his post at another village and found community members mourning the death of his son. The shooter had been posted with his unit in Gobu, some 55 kilometers (34 miles) away.

The Kivu Security Tracker (KST) conflict monitor said the death toll included 10 children and two women who were said to have taken part in the funeral. 

Violence in eastern Congo

For decades, Eastern Congo has been beset by fighting between over a hundred armed groups. Earlier this week, the United Nations warned of an increase in violence in northeastern Congo.

In May 2021, President Felix Tshisekedi declared a state of emergency in Ituri and North Kivu provinces.

Last month, 46 people were killed in a raid of the Lala refugee camp in Ituri province. Half of the dead were children.

sdi/dj (AP, AFP, Reuters)