The Plaza neighborhood, located in the N’sele district of Kinshasa, has been experiencing a surge in insecurity in recent days. The root cause of this situation is the anger of former residents of Pakadjuma, in the Limete district, who were recently evicted and relocated to N’sele.
They are demanding relocation solutions from the city authorities, whom they accuse of having displaced them without adequate support measures. Contacted this Friday, April 17, by MediaCongo Press, a resident of the Plaza neighborhood described an alarming situation. According to her, the demonstrations by the former residents of Pakadjuma escalated into clashes with law enforcement.
During an attempt to disperse the crowd, a security officer reportedly opened fire, killing two protesters.
In response, some displaced people are now targeting residents of the Plaza neighborhood. Several cases of knife attacks, particularly with machetes, have been reported, resulting in injuries. A climate of fear has thus taken hold in this part of the city. "They attack passersby and rob them of their belongings," testifies one resident, who requested anonymity.
As a reminder, the governor of Kinshasa had ordered the eviction of the residents of Pakadjuma, who were relocated to the N'sele district. Some were housed near the CNPP hospital in Kinkole, while others found refuge in the Plaza neighborhood.
The majority of them are homeless, sleeping outdoors in precarious sanitary conditions, which further fuels tensions.
Faced with this alarming situation, residents of the Plaza neighborhood are calling on city authorities to intervene urgently to restore order and provide a lasting solution for these displaced people, before the situation deteriorates further throughout the N'sele district.
Bernard Mpoyi
congo-press.com (MCP) / mediacongo.net via IMCongo.com
