AFRICA/CONGO DR - Parish priest of Mbau receives death threats, mugged by two bandits: violence spreading in the region

Kinshasa (Agenzia Fides) – Fr. Augustin Mbusa, Assumptionist priest and Pastor of the parish in Mbau, (located in Beni, North Kivu), in the north-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, was threatened with death and robbed by men wearing uniforms of the Congolese army (Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo, FARDC). According to a report in the newspaper Beni-Lubero Online yesterday evening, September 29, while the pastor was closing the doors of the parish, a man in military uniform grabbed him and pointed a gun to his head. Soon after, an accomplice in civilian clothes came on the scene.
The two men, after having threatened to kill Fr. Augustin, asked for money. The priest was forced to hand over the cash that was in his availability. Meanwhile, the arrival of some young people convinced the bandits to flee.
The episode is just one of the many acts of violence and banditry that affect the region. "The area of Mbau - says Beni-Lubero Online - is among the areas of Beni most affected by the violence of the FARDC and the Ugandan rebels ADF-Nalu, who instead of confronting each other, take their violence out on the civilian population."
In the case of the regular soldiers, this is due to the fact that the troops do not receive their pay. "When asked, some soldiers of the FARDC accused Kinshasa (capital city) and Goma (capital of Nord-Kivu) of diverting their payroll and not properly equipping them to conduct the Ruwenzori Operation. Thus, living in hunger, the military used the weapons as a means of survival," wrote the local newspaper.
The Ruwenzori Operation was launched in the summer by the FARDC against the Ugandan rebels ADF (Allied Democratic Forces)-NALU. The military action was criticized by local humanitarian organizations and representatives of civil society for its impact on the local population. According to Okapi Radio (also funded by the UN) in July, more than 30,000 people had to flee from the area where military operations were underway. The missionaries operating in the region have repeatedly denounced this situation (see Fides 11/8/2010). (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 30/09/2010)