The Justice and Peace Commission of the Archdiocese of Lubumbashi denounced in a statement the persistence of insecurity in the city of copper and the multiple cases of human rights violations associated with it. This commission therefore calls for the involvement of the provincial assembly to investigate these cases of insecurity, while recommending to the provincial government to strengthen the security and order services by providing appropriate logistical support. In addition, it is recommended to instruct the mayor of the city of Lubumbashi and the mayors of the municipalities on the importance of involving grassroots managers in the fight against insecurity and human rights violations.
Cases of kidnapping, rape and murder, among others, were also raised, with the diocesan Justice and Peace commission highlighting the recent attempted kidnapping of Metropolitan Archbishop Monsignor Fulgence Muteba Mugalu by men in uniform who had sown a climate of terror. The commission took as an illustration the case of a Catholic sister kidnapped in Lubumbashi when she had just left the city’s university.
The unstable security situation in the city of Lubumbashi has escalated since January 2023 and is characterized by kidnappings, killings, armed robberies and other serious human rights violations. The provincial authorities had recently denounced a new mode of crime, that of the bodies discovered, tied up and bagged. Since then, patrols have been intensified to discourage perpetrators.
The Justice and Peace Commission therefore calls for the direct involvement of the provincial authorities to quickly investigate the insecurity raging in the city of Lubumbashi and proposes adequate solutions to eradicate this threat.