A HORRIFYING incident took place on Saturday evening in the eastern Ituri province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where a Congolese soldier unleashed a deadly hail of gunfire on mourners, claiming the lives of 13 people, including 10 innocent children. The army, along with a security monitor, confirmed the tragic event on Sunday.
According to Ituri army spokesman Jules Ngongo, the victims had gathered in a village to mourn the soldier’s own deceased son when the unimaginable tragedy struck. ‘The soldier opened fire at a close range, killing more than a dozen people,’ Ngongo told reporters, expressing the shock and grief surrounding the devastating event.
Following the heinous act, the soldier, affiliated with the naval force, managed to escape, prompting the army to launch a manhunt in an effort to bring him to justice. Investigations into the incident have also been initiated to understand the circumstances that led to this heartrending violence.
The Kivu Security Tracker, an organisation that monitors violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, revealed that the soldier had come from his station in Gobu, situated on the banks of Lake Albert. Among the dead were two women, adding to the profound loss and sorrow felt by the community.
As of now, the exact reason behind the soldier’s violent outburst remains unknown. However, local media reports suggest that the soldier may have been enraged by the fact that his in-laws had laid his son to rest before he could arrive for the funeral.
The soldier is reported to have first shot his own wife and then his mother-in-law before turning the gun on other mourners who were present at the gathering. The incident occurred in the village of Tchomia, a trading center located nearly 60 kilometres (37 miles) away from the provincial capital Bunia, leaving the community shattered and in mourning over the senseless loss of innocent lives.