Article: Popular justice in the DRC: North Kivu still in mourning
The scourge of mob justice continues to plague the North Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. On the night of June 3-4, a woman and her husband were dragged from their sleep by a group of unidentified young men and stoned to death after being accused of witchcraft. The incident occurred in the Butsili district in the commune of Mulekera, in the heart of Beni.
The victim unfortunately died a few hours later while her husband is still in intensive care. The authorities have not been able to identify the perpetrators of these heinous crimes. The youth president of Butsili district, Kasereka Junior, strongly condemned the act of violence, saying that the community should report suspicious people to the relevant authorities for investigation rather than take justice themselves.
This is unfortunately not the first time that mob justice has been called into question in this region of the DRC. Cases of violence are steadily increasing in Beni, with several victims wrongfully dying after being accused of witchcraft. This phenomenon is fueled by various factors, including distrust of authorities, the extent of poverty, lack of confidence in the judicial system and the proliferation of unfounded rumours.
The Congolese state must take strong measures to fight against this scourge of mob justice and protect the vulnerable population against any form of violence or injustice. Authorities should also put in place initiatives to build public confidence in the justice system and encourage the community to work with authorities to report suspicious people. Citizens should be encouraged to trust the authorities and not take justice into their own hands, as this will only increase the violence and destabilize the region