signal of the 3-hour telecast by Congo-Brazzaville's government-owned
"Télé-Congo" of the lying in state, in the plaza of the Palais des
Congrès (the seat of parliament), of 3 dozens or so of identified
victims of last Sunday blasts of the high explosives depot of the
armored regimental Mpila barrack in eastern Brazzaville. (A DRC
official told me Congo-Brazza authorities are holding back victims'
remains at morgues to avoid public outry and shock.)
Among the attendees were 3 dignitaries from Kinshasa: 1) Laurent
Cardinal Monsengwo Pasinya; 2) Kinshasa Governor André Kimbuta Yango;
and 3) FARDC Chief of General Staff Lieutenant-General Didier Etumba
Longomba.
The most heart-wrenching moment of the event occurred at 10:17
Brazzaville Time (GMT + 1) when 9 tractor-trailers slowly moved in the
plaza amid the sudden surge of wails of victims' family members
carrying the photographs of their loved ones.
On the trailers' draped flatbets were lined the victims' caskets
wrapped each in the green, yellow, and red flag of Congo-Brazzaville,
with, between the rows of biers, bright yellow and crimson flowers.
Filing after members of Congo-Brazza's constitutional bodies, Kinshasa
Gov Kimbuta and FARDC Lieutenant-General Etumba stood the funeral
wreaths in front of one of the caskets-laden tractor-trailers.
The second act of the tribute happened at noon, with the arrival of
Congo-Brazzaville's Prez Denis Sassou-Nguesso and First Lady
Antoinette aka Anto. (Mrs. Sassou-Nguesso is a native of Orientale
Province in the DRC.)
A one-hour ecumenical service then followed the arrival of the
Congolese presidential couple.
Another dramatic moment happened when Minister of State Florent Tsiba
broke down at the end of his long-winded but heart-felt 15-minute
funeral oration.
Sassou-Nguesso and his wife stood the funeral wreath at 1:13 p.m.,
after which they briefly mingled with representatives of victims'
families, then left the plaza at 1:28 p.m.
Soon afterwards, the 9 improvised hearses headed for the cemetery in
downtown Brazzaville.
The telecast, which began a few minutes past 10 a.m., ended at 1:40 p.m.
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