Insecurity continues to sow terror in the north-east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, as illustrated by the latest massacre of fifteen civilians in Bukokoma in the territory of Beni. The country’s political representatives reacted to this tragic event, in particular the Honorable Celse Magezi, elected provincial deputy of Beni, who denounced the responsibility of the military.
The deputy finds it unacceptable that the enemy operates so close to the joint forces in charge of local security. He also deplores the fact that the soldiers responsible for guarding the population have not carried out their task, thus leaving the population in danger and at the mercy of armed groups. According to him, the murder of the fifteen peaceful unarmed citizens is due to the negligence of certain soldiers, perhaps motivated by profiteering. “This unforgivable imprudence gave access to these thugs to massacre, in a single night, part of the population”, he laments. He pleads for an investigation in order to understand the reasons for this inaction and to know the reasons for the killing of Bukokoma.
The Honorable Celse Magezi also proposes that the government send a team to carry out a serious investigation into this massacre, to understand how it was perpetrated and why the soldiers left their surveillance post. He also asks for a transfer of all the soldiers to bring in new security agents and the holding of a round table between the security services and the population to strengthen civil-military relations.
This event revives the debate around the level of insecurity in this region of the DRC. Local populations suffer repeated attacks from armed groups, sometimes considered the direct or indirect forces of neighboring foreign powers. The solution to this security situation requires greater involvement of the State and more effective coordination between the security structures put in place.