Four Persons Killed As Activists Protest Against Rwandan Police In DR Congo

Four persons were killed on Monday, Dec. 20,  in Goma, North Kivu, as militants of several civil society organisations protested against the presence of Rwandan police on DR Congo soil. 

Among the dead were a police commissioner, a child, a motorbike rider, and an unidentified individual.

“Concerning the evolving partial casualty figures, we have four persons killed including a commissioner of police who was killed in his office, “Pierrot Mwana Mputu, spokesperson of the Congolese national police revealed.

“His name is Ngapasi Muniamanzi Baudouin. The second person killed was a motorbike rider who was killed in the afternoon and then a baby, plus an unidentified man.” 

“During the demonstration, three AK-47 rifles belonging to the police were stolen by the protesters. One of the rifles was stolen from Monidila police station where Commander Baudouin was killed and the other two rifles were stolen from the ‘honour and morality police command.”

“Seventeen people were wounded including five policemen, one of whom was hit by a bullet on the buttocks while four others were wounded by local weapons. All the five wounded police have been admitted to the Congolese national police hospital in Camp Munzenze. Twelve civilians are being treated in the CBK Ndosho hospital and we have arrested eleven persons,” Mputu declared during a joint briefing with the government and military spokespersons.

Patrick Muyaya, the government spokesperson, condemned the criminal acts and promised that their authors would face the rigour of the law.

“It was a bloody day; the police lost some elements in their workplaces. These are incidents which we condemn with the last energy,” Muyaya said.

‘Whereas any police who were involved in these acts would be severely punished for any wrong attributed to them, so also will all other persons implicated in these incidents be made to account for their actions. That would be justice.”

Tension reached fever pitch on Monday, Dec. 20, in several points of the city of Goma, the chief town of North Kivu when angry youths began demonstrating against what they described as “the coming of Rwandan police into Goma to take charge of security.”

Barricades were erected at several strategic points thus blocking traffic in the city. 

This was the case with the Katoyi-Terminus, Kilijiwe-Presidential entrance and the Majengo-Buhene point where elements of the police and the national army, FARDC, were forced to fire into the air and also fired tear gas to disperse the demonstrators.

There was total confusion in the northern part of Goma and a part of Nyiragongo territory.

Calm is however said to be returning but very timidly.