The recent incident in Goma, involving a FARDC soldier opening deadly fire in the Mugunga district, deeply shook the local population and sparked violent reactions. Under the influence of alcohol, this soldier started a tragic shooting which cost the life of an innocent girl and injured an old lady, triggering panic among the residents of the neighborhood.
Testimonies indicate the indiscriminate violence of the act, with the soldier initially targeting a lady who had rejected his advances, but the bullets hit other innocent victims. The spontaneous reaction of the angry crowd resulted in a brutal lynching of the shooter, who was stoned to death. The scene of popular justice highlights the climate of fear and anger that reigns among the displaced communities of Goma, already weakened by war and conflicts.
This tragedy raises many questions about the security of civilian populations and the state of security forces in the DRC. The identification of the soldier under the nickname “Satan 2” reveals an alarming situation where drunken soldiers roam freely in IDP camps, threatening the lives of the most vulnerable.
The displaced people of Lushagala, still in shock, express their dismay and despair in the face of this violence which pursues them even in their places of refuge. Civil society’s demand for strict application of the measure prohibiting the access of armed men to displaced people’s sites is now of crucial importance to ensure the security and protection of civilian populations.
In the absence of an official reaction from local military authorities, it is urgent to put in place concrete measures to prevent such tragedies in the future. The Goma tragedy serves as a reminder of the absolute need to guarantee the security and dignity of displaced people, who have already suffered so much from conflict and violence in the DRC.