The city of Beni, in the province of North Kivu in the DRC, was rocked by a new tragedy this Wednesday, June 21, 2023. The body of Katembo Kanzoa, aged around 42, was found dead in his field, located in the Pasisi district of the city. According to initial information from the Congolese national police, the man was attacked by wasps while trying to dislodge these aggressive insects. The technical and scientific police investigation confirms that the victim succumbed to wasp stings and died of asphyxiation.
The inhabitants of the region are in shock, and many people who knew the victim or his family expressed their sadness on social networks. Cases of attacks by bees or wasps are frequent in the Beni region, but the death of Katembo Kanzoa has particularly upset the population of the city.
The situation in the DRC is already difficult, with a tense political climate ahead of the general elections next December, violence and new threats from militias hanging over certain regions. In this difficult context, the announcement of the death of Katembo Kanzoa is a new shock for the population of Beni and for the whole of the DRC.
Local authorities ordered the removal of the victim’s body, which was taken to the morgue for an autopsy. Police investigators are continuing their work to determine the exact circumstances of Katembo Kanzoa’s death.
We hope that this tragedy will not be repeated and that measures will be taken to protect the local populations against these attacks by aggressive insects. We offer our condolences to the family and loved ones of Katembo Kanzoa