Despite the state of siege that has been in effect for two weeks in North Kivu and Ituri provinces, another imam committed to fighting Islamic radicalism was murdered in Beni territory on Tuesday, May 18. Djamal Moussa, who is also president of civil society in the locality of Mavivi, was shot dead at his home. This is the second imam killed in May in Beni territory alone.
According to Donate Kibwana, the administrator of the territory of Beni, Djamal Moussa was riddled with bullets by an unidentified gunman as he returned from the traditional evening prayer.
He aimed for his head before fleeing into the wild. About ten kilometers from the center of Beni, in Mavivi, the imam was influential and listened to in his small community.
On many occasions, he alerted the media and authorities about the movement and the exactions of the ADF in the region.
For Kizito Bin Hangi, the president of Beni’s civil society, this murder is significant and creates fear of the future among both activists and other Muslim leaders. For him, it is abnormal that all those who denounce evil end up being killed.
The same modus operandi was used to kill another imam who had received death threats from the ADF in early May. The gunman also aimed for the head and has never been apprehended since.
The killing of Ali Amin was nevertheless attributed to the ADF by local authorities. Like Djamal Moussa, the first imam victim was also very involved in preaching against the radical Islam on which the ADF is based.