DRC: Police disperse demonstration in Kisangani October 3 /update 5

Event

Security forces dispersed a demonstration in Kisangani (Tshopo province) on Wednesday, October 3. The event was organized by LUCHA, a civil society group, to protest insecurity and the deaths of 18 people in a September 22 rebel attack on Beni, in neighboring North Kivu province. Security forces reportedly used tear gas to break up the protest. Insecurity and continued attacks in eastern DRC remain likely, along with civil society demonstrations in the region and throughout the country.

Context

Sit-in protests and marches have been held throughout the country in recent weeks to denounce rebel attacks in North Kivu. Ugandan rebel group Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) allegedly attacked Beni on September 22, killing 18 people. Similar attacks occurred in Oicha (North Kivu), resulting in one death and the abduction of 17 people.

The ADF is a Ugandan Islamist militant group that has been active in the region since the 1990s and is responsible for numerous attacks on Beni and North Kivu in the past several years. Limited government presence, numerous rebel groups, local self-defense militias, and indiscriminate targeting of communities help create persistent insecurity in the region.

Advice

Individuals in DRC, particularly Kisangani, are advised to monitor developments to the situation, avoid all gatherings due to the risk of violence and arrest, and adhere to all instructions issued by the local authorities and their home governments.