North Kivu, DRC: terrorist attack in Kilya
On the night of Thursday May 26 to Friday May 27, 2023, a terrorist attack by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) took place in Kilya, Bashu chiefdom in Beni territory. According to information from the New Congolese Civil Society (NSSC), the toll of this attack rose from two to four civilians killed. Two other lifeless bodies, those of a woman and a man, were discovered with their throats slit.
The conflict in this region of North Kivu has become recurrent and endemic for many years. Also, local organizations, such as the NSSC, regularly call for offensives by security coalitions, to no avail. Pressure is mounting on the authorities to take more concrete steps to end these deadly attacks.
However, the news in the DRC is not limited to these tragedies. There are many important events that shake the different regions of the country. For example, the announcement of the appointment of Pascaline Zamuda as Deputy Director of Fonhab raised great hopes for the improvement of social housing in the DRC.
However, this good news was quickly overshadowed by the crisis that shook the International Bank for Africa in Congo (BIAC) after the announcement of the decision not to prosecute Michel Losembe against whom the bank had filed a complaint for embezzlement. The tension is also rising with the repression of the opposition by the police.
President Felix Tshisekedi, meanwhile, recently visited China to renegotiate the “deal of the century” contract. He wants a fairer distribution of benefits for the DRC. Finally, the malaise in the Kasai, a region plagued by immobility and shenanigans, is drastically hampering the region’s development.
The Congolese opposition is starting to wake up. This media movement must now be accompanied by a structured program to build a fairer and more prosperous DRC.