(PHOTO: Dr. Faida Mitifu, DRC Ambassador to Washington (left), & Dr. Denis Mukwege; Thursday, June 30, 2011,
Woodrow Wilson Center, Washington, DC)
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1) City on virtual lockdown
Sources in Bukavu tell me today that the provincial capital of North Kivu was on virtual lockdown this Saturday morning after a night of shooting spree by angry FARDC soldiers.
The anger of the the soldiers was sparked by the killing of one of their elements at Uvira.
Details of this killing at Uvira weren't readily available.
Those sources say that, given the tense atmosphere in the city, most residents stayed home this morning.
Meanwhile, provincial authorities shut down border crossing points to the Rwandan city of Cyagungu.
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2) Details emerge of deadly home invasion at Dr. Denis Mukwege's domicile
Details and motives of Thursday's brutal attack against Dr. Denis Mukwege, his family, and his driver are still sketchy and baffling.
But according to the same sources alleging the FARDC nightly shooting spree, five "robbers," in army fatigues, had invaded the domicile of Dr. Mukwege in the posh quarter of the peninsula of Muhumba--within walking distance of the MONUSCO HQ.
Dr. Mukwege had just returned to Bukavu from Brussels.
The sources speculate that the motive of the home invasion was "robbery."
"As Dr. Mukwege was returning from Belgium," one of the sources told me, "the robbers assumed he had plenty of cash in his home."
It appears that after entertaining some guests, Dr. Mukwege had accompanied them but on his way back home he was then jumped by the five "robbers."
The five bandits then forced at gun point Dr. Mukwege and the night watchman into the garage where the two victims were tied and locked.
The five "robbers" then stormed the main residence where they attacked Dr. Mukwege's family, tying and locking them in the living room as they ransacked the residence in search of money.
At one point, Dr. Mukwege and the night watchman broke free and made a run for it; but before getting to the gate of the residence, they were spotted by the five armed men, who wildly strafed them with automatic gunfire.
The night watchman was struck by a bullet in the back of the head and was instantly killed; whereas Dr. Mukwege, though unscathed, also hit the ground and played dead.
As the gunshots could have raised the alarm at the nearby MONUSCO HQ, the "robbers" took off in Dr. Mukwege's vehicle.
But the "robbery" doesn't square with the narrative of Dr. Mukwege, who is calling the deadly home invasion an "assassination attempt" by a squad of hitmen contracted by those frowning upon his medical engagement and advocacy on behalf of mass rape victims.
In a phone interview Friday, Dr. Mukwege reacted with "shock," adding that he has been "saved by a miracle."
Radio Okapi gives the following different version of the incident:
"witnesses report that the assailants, numbering four, introduced themselves to the watchman as guests of the doctor.
"Once inside the house, wielding guns, they ordered children to not raise alarm.
"Dr. Mukwege who was readying himself to get into his car through the kitchen door came face to face with another assailant who took the ignition key from him.
"Taking in the scene, the watchman rushed to the spot, yelling to raise neighbors.
"one of the bandits who was in the living room came out and shot the watchman, who died on the spot.
"In the meantime, the physician went into the house, managing to avoid the gunshots discharged in his direction.
"The assailants then fled in Dr. Mukwege's SUV.
"The car was found this Friday morning in a street of the Commune of Kadutu.
"The police arrived at the residence of the physician, located in the vicinity of the headquarter of MONUSCO, one hour after the incident had taken place."
--(With sources in Bukavu, newswires, Kinshasa media, & radiookapi.net)
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PHOTO: Alex Engwete
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