Lubumbashi experienced an incursion early on Saturday morning, September 26, by Bakata Katanga militiamen. The official report states that three elements of the forces of law and order were killed, 16 were killed along with the assailants, and about ten men were captured. The NGO Justicia ASBL draws up a provisional toll of 4 dead on the side of the loyalist forces and 5 wounded, and around ten of the dead among the assailants. The Bakata Katanga is the militia that campaigns for secession from the mining province of Katanga.
According to several sources, shots rang out in downtown Lubumbashi around midnight. The Bakata Katanga militia, visibly unarmed, entered the post office square in the center of the city. They reportedly hoisted the flag of the independent state of Katanga.
According to the provincial Ministry of the Interior, the attackers wanted to take control of the governorate of Haut Katanga province, the Kasapa prison, and the antenna of the National Radio Television of Congo (RTNC).
Fulbert Milundu, the provincial Minister of the Interior has an idea of the identity of the assailants. “Those we have identified must be supporters of a well-known warlord in Lubumbashi named Kyungu Mutanga Gedeon. ยป
Some inhabitants of Lubumbashi are denouncing the attitude of the police. A video circulating on social networks shows police officers beating up on the body of an alleged assailant in front of jubilant passers-by.