Augustin Muhindo got shot multiple times at his home in the Ndosho neighborhood, Karisimbi commune. A witness told ACTUALITÉ.CD that four armed individuals barged in around 10 p.m. and shot him in front of his wife and kids. Less than 24 hours later, another body was found in the Kyeshero neighborhood, behind the CBCA Ndosho hospital. It was a young unidentified man with his body lying on the ground, head covered in a plastic bag, indicating suffocation.
In a different incident, on Sunday, May 18th, in Kyeshero, suspected thief was gunned down by M23 soldiers after robbing several shops. The next day, another suspected thief’s body was discovered in the village of Kabaya, on the Goma-Nyiragongo territory border. He was lynched by the population after being caught in the act in the Majengo neighborhood. In an even more gruesome event, a newborn baby of about a week old was found abandoned in a small bag in the Lac Vert neighborhood on Monday morning. The baby’s mother is missing, but an investigation is ongoing, as stated by the neighborhood chief, Dedesi Mitima.
Goma, the capital of North Kivu, is going through a new wave of deadly violence, characterized by targeted assassinations. Every day, bodies are found abandoned in the streets, and cases of mob justice are becoming more frequent. Since last weekend, murders have been escalating, revealing the extent of insecurity in a city already under pressure since the occupation by M23/AFC rebels. Last week, at least 12 people were killed, including two grassroots leaders in Mugunga and three other residents in Katoyi during a shooting carried out by unidentified armed men. A joint report from the youth councils in Goma and Karisimbi, released on May 14th, paints a grim picture between April 25th and May 10th: 15 people shot dead, 110 houses attacked, 9 lifeless bodies found, 4 abductions, 6 gunshot injuries, and 3 cases of mob justice.
