A dozen people were killed on Monday in the equivalent of an inter-communal conflict in Bakuakenge, a local disputed by the provinces of Kasai and Kasai Central, in central DRC. This is the heaviest charge since the clashes in August 2020, which led to the killing of ten people and thousands of displaced persons. The crisis remains in this part of the Democratic Republic of Congo where conflicts have worsened, especially after the territorial division in 2015.
as reported from Kinshasa,Patient Ligodi
Tensions were already high last Saturday in Bakuakenge, a town disputed by two provinces. According to the provincial authorities, it all started with a domestic dispute between a woman from Kasai Central and her husband from Kasai province.
The dispute, which was poorly handled by a law enforcement officer, triggered clashes over Saturday to Sunday between the two communities, with several people injured, two of them seriously.
The situation escalated on Monday. Particularly unidentified people armed with machetes broke into the area. According to information from the governor of Kasai, DieudonnéPieme, these people mainly attacked women and children. Most of the victims were beheaded.
The only health center in the area burned down. And a hundred homes. Relatively calm reigned in Bakuakenge on Tuesday. The reinforcement of the security forces arrived on the scene. Police came from Kananga and Mweka.
Discussions are ongoing about a possible deployment of the military. At the same time, local authorities from two provinces met on Tuesday morning.
► Also read: DRC: complex and multiple issues behind the conflict between Kasai
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