July 24, (THEWILL) – A soldier in the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo opened fire on family members and others, who had buried his son before he could arrive home to attend the ceremony, killing 13 people, officials said on Sunday.
Lt Jules Ngongo, Spokesperson for the Congolese Army in Ituri Province, where the killings took place, confirmed the incident.
The attack, late on Saturday, left the soldier’s wife, in-laws and two of his children dead before he turned his weapon on other civilians, Ngongo said.
“No matter what the case, the time or the circumstances, you can’t take a person’s life. This is an act of indiscipline that will be dealt with by the courts,” Ngongo added.
While the soldier was not identified, a local Village Chief, Baraka Muguwa Oscar, said the soldier arrived home from his post at another village in the province to find family and community members gathered in mourning for his son, who died on Thursday, of natural causes.
“This soldier did not like the fact that his son was buried without his approval and in his absence,” Oscar said.
He fled the scene after the attack and was, however, arrested by the Congolese army, who were dispatched to apprehend him.
