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Tag: Democratic Republic of the Congo

  • Children among 46 dead in DRC relocation camp

    Children among 46 dead in DRC relocation camp

    As reported by a network of observers located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), at least 46 people—including 23 children—were killed and six others were injured at a displacement camp.

    Following a Monday attack by the militia group “Codeco,” the incident, according to the Kivu Security Tracker, took place in the Djugu area.

    Following an incursion by #CODECO, “at least 46 civilians were killed and six wounded on Monday, June 12 at the #Lala displaced persons camp (Djugu territory, #Ituri),” Kivu Security said on Twitter.

    Kivu Security added that the attack was the deadliest experienced in the area in more than a year. The massacre may have been a reprisal for acts of violence by other armed milita groups, they said.

    In a statement on Monday, the UN peacekeeping mission ‘Monusco’ said that they condemn in the “strongest” terms the “despicable attack” that took place in the displacement camp.

    “MONUSCO has reinforced its security presence in the area, in liaison with the provincial authorities,” a statement by MONUSCO chief said.

    “The Mission will spare no effort to put an end to these attacks and to fight against impunity, in accordance with its mandate.”

    The statement added that MONUSCO extends its condolences to the families of the victims and “wishes a speedy recovery” to the injured.

    MONUSCO urged the Congolese authorities to expedite an investigation and bring perpetrators to justice.

    The DRC continues to grapple with waves of violence that have persisted in its North Kivu province, despite efforts by its armed forces and international peacekeepers to contain it.

    The Congolese government also condemned the attack while assuring that its armed forces “remain committed to restoring security in Ituri.”

    Activist group LUCHA says the government hasn’t done enough in protecting vulnerable communities from attacks.

    In January, at least 12 worshipers were killed and around 50 injured at a church service when a bomb was detonated by the ADF militia group in Kasindi, North Kivu.

  • More than 400 people dead due to heavy flooding in DR Congo

    More than 400 people dead due to heavy flooding in DR Congo

    In the South Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, officials told CNN that at least 400 people had perished as a result of flooding and landslides last week.

    According to South Kivu’s Kalehe territory’s provincial governor Theo Kasi, last week’s heavy rains led to rivers overflowing and mudslides that wreaked havoc on the communities of Bushushu and Nyamukubi.

    Kasi reported that there had been 401 fatalities in the Kalehe territory’s Bushushu and Nyamukubi villages.

    Videos from the area show buildings swept away in the water and mud, with debris strewn across the villages.

    Valet Chebujongo, an activist in Kalehe, told CNN that rescuers have been unable to clear the muddy roads, leaving residents with the dangerous option of wading through lakes.

    “The Congolese government and its partners should find a safe place where the victims will be relocated and ask the population not to use the flowing waters and the lake during this period,” Chebujongo said, adding that there are “no machines to clear the mud and clear the landslides in the road to allow the population to circulate Bushushu-Nyamukubi villages. People are crossing the lake, another danger.”

    Kasi said rescue operations were ongoing in spite of difficulties. “We are in a disaster. We work despite difficult conditions,” he said.

    The provincial government said Saturday it was relocating residents affected by the floods to safer sites. It also said the government was funding medical care for the injured, including funeral costs for the deceased.

    President Felix Tshisekedi declared Monday a national mourning for victims of the floods, government spokesman Patrick Muyaya said, adding that a national government delegation had arrived in Kalehe to assist local response efforts.

    The DRC is located within the River Congo Basin where flood disasters are frequently reported. According to a World Bank report, climate-related disasters, including flooding “are likely to increase in frequency and magnitude” in the Central African country due to climate change.

    The DRC continues to grapple with devastating effects of flooding across the country. In December, more than 120 people were killed after heavy rains caused severe flooding in the Congolese capital of Kinshasa, authorities said.

    In 2020, more than 15,000 homes were destroyed and at least 25 people killed by floodwaters in South Kivu, a province already ravaged by armed conflict, the UN Refugee Agency reported at the time.

    Months earlier, around 39 people died when torrential rains triggered landslides in Kinshasa.

  • Largest act of human terrorism committed in this century was the attack on Gaddafi – Ugandan general

    Largest act of human terrorism committed in this century was the attack on Gaddafi – Ugandan general

    A general from Uganda named Muhoozi Kainerugaba has called the destruction of Libya by western nations in 2011 a crime against humanity.

    On March 13, 2023, Muhoozi—the president of Uganda’s son—tweeted his opinions.

    He also urged Africa to save Libya from collapse, denouncing unnamed western powers for criticizing the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRCinsecurity )’s despite their involvement in Libya.

    “The largest crime against humanity committed in the twenty-first century was the destruction of Libya by the West in 2011!
    And these same individuals have the audacity to discuss M23 in the DRC?
    Africa must save Libyans (Africans) from extinction “read the tweet.

    Libya was thrown into a state of insecurity in 2011 after NATO-backed rebels ousted Gaddafi and overthrew the central government.

    Over the last decade, there has been several attempts at establishing a government to steer affairs of the country which at a point was divided between rival forces in the East and an internationally-backed government in the capital, Tripoli.

    One African leader who has consistently lamented the failure of Africans to defend Gaddafi is Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni who is on record as saying Africa failed the late Libyan leader by sitting back as foreigners ousted him.

  • Kinshasa begins clean-up ahead of Pope’s visit

    Kinshasa begins clean-up ahead of Pope’s visit

    Beginning on Monday, the streets of Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, will undergo renovations in preparation for Pope Francis’ visit at the end of the month.

    The main city center will be cleaned up, according to Kinshasa Governor Gentiny Ngobila, and street vendors and abandoned vehicles will be removed from roads leading to the airport.

    More than 120 people died as a result of the city’s worst floods in years last month.

    This is the first time that the city of at least 14 million residents will be hosting Pope Francis.

    A previous pope, the late John Paul II, visited the country twice, in 1980 and 1985, during the rule of former strongman Mobutu Sese Seko.

    Catholics make up the majority of the country’s population.

    Source: BBC.com

  • DR Congo floods: Nearly 150 people die in Kinshasa

    The worst floods in years have left more than 120 people dead in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to the authorities.

    While heavy rains persisted for hours and several homes collapsed, major roads in the city centre were flooded.

    Many of the fatalities occurred in landslide-prone hillside areas.

    Three days have been set aside for national mourning, according to the government.

    The death toll, which was first estimated to be at least 55, jumped to more than 120 by Tuesday evening.

    Entire neighbourhoods were flooded with muddy water, and houses and roads ripped apart by sinkholes, including the N1 highway that connects the capital to the country’s main port of Matadi.

    An AFP journalist saw the bodies of nine members of a single family who were killed when their home collapsed.

    “We’ve never seen a flood here on this scale,” said Blanchard Mvubu, who lives in one of the worst affected areas.

    “I was asleep and I could feel water in the house. It’s a disaster – we’ve lost all our possessions in the house, nothing could be saved.”

    Prime Minister Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde led a government delegation through parts of Kinshasa to assess the damage on Tuesday.

    He said officials were still searching for more bodies.

    Earlier on Tuesday, the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo joined the United States in blaming climate change for the major flooding.

    “The DRC is under pressure but unfortunately it’s not sufficiently heard or supported,” President Félix Tshisekedi told Secretary of State Antony Blinken as they met at a US-Africa summit in Washington.

    The flooding was an example of “what we have been deploring for some time,” he said, adding that those countries which were responsible for pollution should do more to help those which are suffering.

    His spokesperson said the president might cut short his trip to the US because of the disaster.

    Kinshasa is located on the River Congo and has seen a huge population influx in recent years, with 15 million people now living there.

    Many dwellings are shanty houses built on flood-prone slopes, and the city suffers from inadequate drainage and sewerage.

    In November 2019, about 40 people in Kinshasa died in floods and landslides.

  • DR Congo colonels sentenced to death for murdering Chinese workers

    Six persons, including two army colonels, were sentenced to death in connection with the march killing, while four others were imprisoned for ten years.

    A military court in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has sentenced six persons to death, including two army colonels, in connection with the March murder of two Chinese mine employees.

    Four other military personnel were sentenced to 10 years in prison by the Ituri Military Court on Friday.

    All but one of those receiving the death sentence was a member of the military.

    The two colonels are accused of planning an attack on a convoy in March, with the aim of stealing four gold bars and $6,000 in cash being transported by the victims, who were returning from a gold mine.

    Verdict ‘serves as an example’

    In the DRC, death penalties are regularly handed down but systematically commuted to life imprisonment.

    “This must serve as an example for the black sheep in the armed forces,” Lieutenant Jules Ngongo, spokesman for military operations in the gold-rich Ituri province, told the AFP news agency.

    Attacks on Chinese-managed mines and Chinese workers are not uncommon in resource-rich eastern DRC, which has been ravaged by militia violence for decades.

    Last year, the DRC government placed security officials in charge of the administration of Ituri and neighboring North Kivu province in a bid to curb violence. However, the measure has failed to stop attacks.

    The defence team said they would appeal.

     

  • British Royal visits the DRC

    In a first for the British Royal Family, Sophie, Countess of Wessex and Forfar, visited the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Tuesday.

    The Countess met the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize, Dr. Denis Mukwege, and praised his work in caring for victims of sexual violence.

    “Your presence here simply instils hope in the hearts of our people. Your presence is a strong message to the victims, and you say it out loud: ‘You are not forgotten”. (…) “Your presence is also a powerful message to the perpetrators that the crime will not go unpunished forever”, said Dr Denis Mukwege, Nobel Peace Prize 2018.

    The British Royal was accompanied by Lord Tariq Ahmad, Baron of Wimbledon and UK representative for the prevention of sexual violence.

    “This means investing in people, investing in the legal profession, but also investing in the institutions that bring justice for the victims and survivors of sexual violence”, said Lord Tariq Ahmad.

    This was the first time a member of the British Royal Family visited the DRC.

    The purpose of the visit is to prepare for an international conference dedicated to the prevention of sexual violence in conflicts taking place in London in November.

    Source: Africanews