Protesters lynch army officer over insecurity in eastern DR Congo

By James Tasamba

KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) – Angry protesters in the South Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo lynched a soldier and burned his body Thursday in protest against insecurity and deteriorating law and order in their area, the army confirmed Friday.

The incident took place in the Tanganyika sector, Fizi territory in South Kivu.

The demonstrators were protesting against a recent attack by militiamen that killed three civilians in Tubondo village, Maj. Dieudonne Kasereka, the army spokesman in the operational sector Sokola 2, told reporters.

The killed soldier, Maj. Joseph Kaminzobe, was in charge of intelligence within the Fizi operational subsector.

The protesters returning from the funeral of the three people killed reportedly barricaded the road, and checked all vehicles as they passed.

They then stopped a Red Cross vehicle carrying the officer in civilian clothes and without a weapon. They burned the soldier alive after forcing him out of the vehicle.

The eastern provinces of Congo – North and South Kivu and Ituri – have faced endemic insecurity, leaving serious humanitarian consequences.

On Nov. 14, an armed group attacked a displaced people’s site at Mikenge town in South Kivu, killing six children and a pregnant woman, and wounding eight others.