DR Congo ‘repulses’ attack on TV station

    
The Democratic Republic of Congo’s army has repulsed an attack by an “unknown terrorist group” on the state TV headquarters, the government says.

There were two other incidents – at the international airport and at a military base in the capital, Kinshasa – where gunfire was heard.

Information Minister Lambert Mende said the situation was now under control.

About 40 of those who had taken part in the three attacks had been killed, others had been arrested, he said.

Mr Mende said the attackers at the state TV and radio headquarters were armed with weapons such as knives, and there was “no chance of them even to maintain their positions, even for a single hour”.

“People were frightened when security personnel were firing against these attackers,” the minister told the BBC’s Focus on Africa radio programme after visiting the RTNC headquarters.

He told the AFP news agency that 16 attackers had been killed at the airport, 16 at the military base and eight at the RTNC offices.

About 70 people in total had taken part in the attacks, the minister told Reuters news agency.

Mr Mende told the BBC he understood that two staff members forced to read a statement on TV were safe.

Reuters said the statement appeared to be a political message against President Joseph Kabila’s government.

“Gideon Mukungubila has come to free you from the slavery of the Rwandan,” said the message, according to Reuters.

In 1997, Rwandan-backed troops ousted DR Congo’s long-serving ruler Mobutu Sese Seko and installed Laurent Kabila – the father of incumbent leader Joseph Kabila – as president.

According to Reuters, Gideon is the nickname used for religious leader Paul Joseph Mukungubila by his followers. He ran unsuccessfully for president in 2006.

Mr Mende said the government had not yet established the reason for the attack.

President Joseph Kabila, who won his second term in office two years ago, was touring the Katanga province and was not under any threat, he added.

The armed youths stormed the studio around 08:40 local time (07:40 GMT) during a live magazine programme, shouting slogans – one of which in French said “for the liberation of Congo”.

In a separate incident, a taxi driver told AFP that he had heard about “six or seven shots” from heavy weapons fired at the Tshatshi military camp. The shots were heard between 09:00 and 09:30 local time.

After RTNC went off air, a customs official at Ndjili airport told Reuters: “Shooting has started here. They are shooting everywhere. We are all hiding.”

Kinshasa RTNC TV has now resumed normal programming – at 09:20 local time signals were restored and at 10:00 the station carried a news bulletin in French which did not mention the incident.

The US embassy in Kinshasa has advised all US citizens not to travel around the city until further notice.

“The embassy has received multiple reports of armed engagements and fighting around Kinshasa… The embassy has also received reports that there are police and military checkpoints and barricades in many places,” it said in a statement posted on its Facebook page at 10:00 local time.

BBC