Police repression in the DRC: a journalist seriously injured during an opposition demonstration
The opposition march against high prices, electoral fraud and war in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo was violently repressed by the security forces. Unfortunately, a journalist covering the event was seriously injured by an offender armed with a machete.
The victim, who was performing a live broadcast at the time, stumbled before receiving a violent machete blow to the head. The images of the attack are chilling and show the extreme cruelty of the aggressor.
The police crackdown has also been brutal with protesters coming under tear gas, beatings with batons and arbitrary arrests. The activists responded by throwing stones at the police.
The seriously injured journalist was urgently evacuated by elements of the Red Cross to a health center in Makala.
This shocking attack and the police violence that accompanies it are deplorable, and the international community must strongly condemn these inhumane acts.
In another register, the DRC is currently preparing to take up another major challenge in terms of internet connectivity with the launch of the largest internet exchange point in Central Africa.
However, the country has to deal with numerous security issues, in particular with the violence in the east of the country, the detention of deputies for treason and the persistent political tensions.