Soldier kills 13 mourners, including wife, in eastern DR Congo

By James Tasamba

KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) – A Congolese soldier opened fire on mourners in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, killing 13 people, including 10 children, the army and a security monitor said on Sunday.

The incident occurred on Saturday evening in a village in the eastern Ituri province.

The victims had gathered to mourn the soldier’s deceased son, according to Ituri army spokesman Jules Ngongo.

“The soldier opened fire at a close range, killing more than a dozen people,” Ngongo told reporters.

Following the incident, the soldier of the naval force, fled and the army launched a manhunt for him as investigations into the incident launched, he said.

The Kivu Security Tracker, which maps violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, said the soldier had come from his station in Gobu, located on the banks of Lake Albert.

Two of the dead were women, it said.

The reason for the shooting is still unknown.

But local media reports said the soldier was enraged that his in-laws had buried his son before his arrival.

The soldier reportedly shot his wife and then his mother-in-law before turning the gun to other mourners.

The deceased had died in the absence of the soldier in the village of Tchomia, a trading center located nearly 60 kilometers (37 miles) from the provincial capital Bunia.