Uvira: a soldier and two civilians killed

The two civilians, members of a group of young peacekeepers doing night rounds, were killed by gunmen. The soldier was lynched by residents. INFO SOS Médias Burundi

It all starts this Saturday evening in the Kasenga district, in the city of Uvira in the province of South Kivu, eastern DRC.

Armed bandits try to rob in shops and young civilian guards pursue them. A young civilian guard is killed by the armed men. Further in their pursuit, the young guards come across Congolese soldiers. These young people, along with other civilians, attack the soldiers, stoned him over suspicion of being part of the group of thieves. He was taken to the general hospital in Uvira, in very critical condition.

This Sunday morning, the situation degenerated. Young guards evacuate the body of their companion. When they met a soldier, they attack him, also wanting to stone him. He opens fire on them and kills one of them.

Residents pursue the soldier and kill him with stones. In a statement, the Congolese army acknowledges the death of a soldier and two civilians, announcing that three other people including a soldier were injured.

“The soldier is in a very critical condition”, declares the Congolese army, recalling also that “the security of people and their property is a mission devolved to the defense and security forces”.

Residents of South Kivu who confided in SOS Médias Burundi are asking the Congolese authorities to “suspend the activities of young civilian guards who have unlimited power”.

The commander of operational sector Sokola 2 qualifies the act which led to the death of an element of the Republican Guard as an unpatriotic act.