Four police officers were killed on Friday August 12 as they framed a demonstration against insecurity in an important commercial crossroads in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, plagued by armed violence, AFP said citing military sources.
During this demonstration, armed men mixed with the crowd emerged near the Kangote district in Butembo (North Kivu, east) and fired on police officers who were surrounding the demonstrators, Colonel MOZEBO E' told AFP. POPE, chief of the army of the town of Butembo.
“
The provisional toll is four police officers killed by these assailants who were among the protesters, three jeeps were set on fire
,” said the officer whose men came to the rescue of the police, while shots were still heard in the city.
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“
The security forces have been under attack since this morning in Butembo (...).
At least two police officers, including the deputy commander of the (police) were killed
,” wrote the Kivu Security Barometer (KST), which has experts in this city.
“
The situation is serious at the moment.
An armed group whose origin we do not know seems to be invading Butembo near the Kangote district
“, told AFP Mathe Saanane, president of the civil society of Butembo.
Four blue helmets had been killed in Butembo on July 26 during demonstrations against the United Nations.
The situation has been tense in Butembo since the beginning of the week.
On Wednesday, two police officers were killed in an attack on Butembo prison by members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) group presented by the Islamic State organization (IS) as its branch in Central Africa (ISCAP in English).
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The ADF are accused of being responsible for the massacres of thousands of civilians in eastern Congo and of having committed attacks in Uganda.
Since November, the Congolese and Ugandan armies have been carrying out joint operations against the ADF, without succeeding in putting an end to the massacres.
The Butembo area is not affected by these operations.
The provinces of North Kivu and Ituri have been placed under a state of siege since May 2021.
A measure that gives full powers to the military and the police.
Eastern DRC has been destabilized for almost three decades due to the activities of around 100 local and foreign armed groups.
