30 Death Sentenced in Democratic Republic of Congo

The Democratic Republic of Congo recently handed death sentence to thirty people after clashes between two rival Muslim factions.

What happened?

On the Islamic holiday of Eid, that mark the end of Ramadan month, two Muslim groups clashed in front of the Martyrs stadium in the city of Kinshasa. The fight was over the right to hold Eid celebrations in the stadium.

Kinshasa sees massive celebrations during Eid. The Democratic Republic of Congo holds 10% of Muslim population.

Death Sentence

During the conflict, a policeman was beaten to death. Several others were wounded. The participants were charged of criminal conspiracy and attempted murder. The trial of the rioters began on May 14, 2021 and went till May 15, 2021 continuously. After this, around 30 rioters were sentenced to death.

Current Political Situation in Congo

Congo has been facing humanitarian and health crisis lately. Two eastern provinces were put under the state of emergency recently due to the presence of armed groups. Since the beginning of 2021, armed militia have killed at least 300 people in Congo.

Reasons behind the clashes

It is believed that the extremists group in Congo are behind the clashes as they do not want the groups to pray together. There are armed extremists in the country mainly because Congo is poor and underpopulated in spite of the fact that it is the riches t country in the world.

Congo is poor due to instability from years of wars. This has led to poverty and unemployment. This is the main reason for frequent clashes and fights in the country.

Month: Current Affairs - May, 2021