at least 37 dead in stampede during army recruitment operation

At least 37 young Congolese were killed in the night from Monday to Tuesday in a stampede during an army recruitment operation in the capital Brazzaville, the Congolese authorities announced on Tuesday, November 21. In a press release from the crisis unit set up by Prime Minister Anatole Collinet Makosso, the provisional assessment of this “drama” also mentions numerous injuries. A judicial investigation has been opened.

Images shared on social networks show dozens of lifeless bodies deposited at the municipal morgue, as well as injured people admitted to the Brazzaville university hospital and the military hospital.

Increasingly violent fighting since October

The Congolese army announced in mid-November the recruitment into its ranks of 1,500 young people aged 18 to 25. Monday, late at night, candidates forced the gate of the Michel d’Ornano stadium, where recruitment is taking place, in downtown Brazzaville. A stampede ensued, where many people fell and were trampled, residents reported. Some of the injured are in serious condition, according to testimonies from relatives.

Fighting has intensified since early October north of Goma, the provincial capital of North Kivu. They oppose the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo, armed groups called “patriots”, and there M23 rebellion (March 23 Movement). In North Kivu alone, nearly a million residents have fled their homes due to fighting involving the M23.