In the Democratic Republic of Congo, six rebels, two police officers and one Congolese soldier were killed during an incursion by armed men on Tuesday night in Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu, where light and heavy gunfire was heard until the morning.
According to the commander of the military region, they wanted to free members of their group arrested a few days ago by the police.
Various armed groups have been active for more than 25 years in the province of South Kivu, which borders Rwanda and Burundi, but its capital, Bukavu, has not seen such an attack in the city for many years.
Most of the inhabitants stayed in their homes on Wednesday morning, after being kept awake by gunfire in several neighborhoods from 01:40 (00:40 GMT).
The governor of South Kivu, Theo Ngwabidje Kasi, assured at the end of the night that the situation was “totally under control”, while detonations were still heard on the southern outskirts of the city.
Various armed groups have been operating for more than 25 years in the province of South Kivu, which borders Rwanda and Burundi, but its capital, Bukavu, has not seen such an attack in the city for years. They arrived at around 1:40 a.m. (0040 GMT) in the industrial district, “they were shooting and singing to say they wanted to liberate the country (…),” he said.
According to him, they tried to attack a military camp to steal ammunition but were repelled. They also tried to go to the city center but were also blocked.
“They were desperate to free those who were arrested by the police,” Kilubi said late at night. The men arrested a few days ago are being held at the city’s central police station.