Drunken soldier kills 8 people in DR Congo

By James Tasamba

KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) - A drunken soldier of the Congolese army went on a rampage shooting eight people dead on Sunday morning before being killed by his colleagues, the army said.

The incident took place at around 7 a.m. (0500GMT) in the Bambu mines center, about 40 kilometers (24 miles) north of Bunia, the capital of the Ituri province.

Among those killed were three soldiers of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The morning incident disrupted many people who were heading to church for Easter Sunday prayers.

The soldier was reportedly called to order by his unit commander but was adamant.

“The soldier first opened fire on a cargo truck that was returning from Bunia to Mungwalu, killing five civilians, including two women. He then shot his unit commander, a lieutenant colonel at a close range and his bodyguard, killing them instantly,” the army said.

Jules Ngongo, an army spokesman in Ituri, condemned the incident which he said should not taint the military image.

He said civic and patriotic education army personnel have been deployed on the ground to revitalize discipline in the ranks of the units.

In February, another drunken Congolese army soldier shot and killed three civilians before killing himself in the town of Beni in the North Kivu province.

Last August, two Democratic Republic of Congo military officers were shot dead by their drunken colleague in the city of Mutwanga in North Kivu.

In the same month last year, a military court in North sentenced two military officers to life in prison for fistfighting.

In convicting the soldiers, the military court in Goma said the prison sentences would send a strong signal to the troops to behave in an exemplary manner.