Suicide bombing in Congo leaves 6 at least dead
2 Min Read
Officials say a suicide bomber blew himself up in a restaurant in a city in eastern Congo, and no party has so far claimed responsibility.
-
The suicide bombing targeted a restaurant in eastern Congo
A suicide bomber on Saturday blew himself up in a restaurant in Beni, eastern Congo, killing at least six, in the latest attack in an area where Congolese and Ugandan forces have launched a campaign against militants.
Two children were among the victims, with 13 others wounded.
"There have been reports about the loss of human lives. The security services have been deployed, and the initial measures were taken," Congolese government spokesman Patrick Muyaya said on Twitter, adding that he would be providing further details when available.
#RDC : Le Gouvernement condamne l’explosion, en ce soir de noël, d’une bombe dans un Bar à Beni, œuvre d’un kamikaze. Des pertes en vies humaines sont signalées. Les services de sécurité sont déjà déployés et les premières mesures ont été prises. Nous y reviendrons avec détails.
— Patrick Muyaya (@PatrickMuyaya) December 25, 2021
He explained that the explosion in the city of Beni was caused by an attack carried out by a suicide bomber. So far, no party has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Congo and neighboring country Uganda launched a military campaign in the region at the end of November against the ISIS-allied Allied Democratic Forces armed group in the region. Officials have previously blamed the group for bombings in the region.
Earlier in the day, the mayor of Beni told a local radio station a bomb had exploded inside a restaurant in the eastern Congolese city on Saturday.
A journalist from Reuters said he had heard an explosion nearby at around 7 PM, immediately after a Catholic mass, near the main road in the city, followed by a shooting.
Pictures circulated on social media showed dozens of damaged seats scattered across the road, with three corpses seen between the ruins. Reuters has not yet been able to verify the authenticity of the photos.
Two explosions shook Beni in June, the first one being in a catholic church and the other being at a busy intersection. Neither explosion resulted in any casualties except for the suicide bomber who carried out the second explosion.
