Curfew in NE Congo city after violent protest kills 3

KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo

Congolese authorities have imposed a curfew in the northeastern city of Beni, hours after the death of three people, including a police officer.

Nyonyi Bwanakawa, mayor of the Beni, said late Wednesday: “Nobody will go out in Beni after 8 p.m. [1800 GMT]. This will be in force until further notice. Criminals have entered the city and the most effective way to neutralize them is a strict curfew.”

Three people were killed and eight others were seriously injured Wednesday in Beni during a demonstration against the killing of nearly 50 people allegedly by Ugandan rebels, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), over the weekend. The protesters criticized the government of failing to protect them and some local media reports suggested a protester was killed after police intervention.

"Most of the protesters came from neighboring towns. A policeman was killed. A protester died after being hit by a stray bullet and another person was a victim of mob justice,” Bwanakawa told Radio Okapi, a UN backed radio in Congo.

Lambert Mende, a government spokesman, told Anadolu Agency that “the zone [in eastern Congo] is where the enemy operates and the demonstrations could distract security forces, who must focus on the fight against terrorism.”

For the last 20 years, northern Congo has seen a number of conflicts break out over ethnic and land disputes, control of mineral resources and rivalries between neighboring states.

The ADF, a Ugandan rebel group based in the country’s east, is comprised of several groups opposed to Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni. They have been active in the east since 1995 and have been blamed for the killings of hundreds of civilians around Beni.

The ADF rebels have left aside their political demands as they are mostly involved in trafficking of minerals in the country’s east that is rich in gold.

On August 4, Ugandan president and his Congolese counterpart agreed to establish a military cooperation and exchange information in the fight against the ADF.