SAA event in Congo, the Democratic Republic of the on Tue 9th April 2024

Eight people were shot dead in the space of two days in the city of Goma, capital of the North Kivu province, in eastern DRC, local sources report.

Four victims were shot dead on the night of Wednesday April 10, at the entrance to the place called “President Entrance” on Sake road.

Witnesses claim that a car, with the son of a well-known trader in the area, their cashier and a police officer on board, was robbed by heavily armed men.

According to these sources, the people on board this vehicle had in their possession a large sum of money from the daily income from their business. It was 5:45 p.m. local time.

Witnesses claim that these passengers were riddled with bullets, while the attackers tried to steal their money.

These armed men subsequently opened fire on several other people stuck in traffic jams in the same place. In this incident, a woman was killed and eight people injured.

On Tuesday April 9, four other people were shot dead by men in army uniforms in the popular neighborhood of Majengo. According to witnesses, the perpetrator of these homicides is a soldier of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC).

Given the seriousness of the situation, Jean-Paul Lumbulumbu, honorary deputy, calls for urgent intervention from the provincial government. He deplores the intensification of urban crime.

“Whether at night or during the day, there are assassinations and killings in the city, as if there were no authorities,” he said, worried.

This former elected official from Goma believes that it is time for the competent authorities to act to stem this crime. He proposes to the Government to put in place new strategies, and to rethink those that already exist, in order to secure the inhabitants of the city of Goma and its surroundings.

Until this Thursday, April 11 in the morning, there was no reaction from the provincial government.

On the other hand, the city police command presented suspected criminals to the press in the morning, three of whom were linked to the shooting at the “President Entrance” square.