- Title: Mob attacks Indian businesses in Congo amid furore over student's death
- Date: 13th August 2021
- Summary: KINSHASA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (AUGUST 13, 2021) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF BURNED CAR BURNED CAR AND WAREHOUSE LOCKS ON WAREHOUSE (SOUNDBITE) (Lingala) WITNESS, WILLIAM DANGO, SAYING: "I'm telling the Indian government that if these actions continue, you understand, we are the people, the way they are killing our brothers and sisters it is giving us a heartache. They have to know that their Indian brothers are here. If you want, it will be tit for tat killing between our countries. We will take one, we will cut their head off and they will get the message, it will be like that." VARIOUS OF POLICE PATROLLING IN STREET VARIOUS OF CLOSED WAREHOUSE (SOUNDBITE) (Lingala) WITNESS, DANIEL MWAMBISAKA, SAYING: "This is an issue of looking for a solution, we don't want the Indians to come back here. Before they come back, we need a solution for both of us, between our government and the Indian government so that we know that our brothers in India are safe." VARIOUS OF WAREHOUSE (SOUNDBITE) (Lingala) WITNESS, DANIEL MWAMBISAKA, SAYING: "After the first and the second killings our government didn't say anything so we decided, this time around, we the population, all the Indians that we see here, we'll kill them." VARIOUS OF SHUTTERED WAREHOUSE (SOUNDBITE) (Lingala) WITNESS, FATUMA ESONGOLA, SAYING: "It started around 7:00 a.m. when we were preparing our stalls on the road, we saw group of students coming, they were coming for revenge because they are killing them in India. They are being tortured." STREET WHERE WAREHOUSES WERE ATTACKED
- Embargoed: 27th August 2021 18:41
- Keywords: anger congo death india looting
- Location: KINSHASA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
- City: KINSHASA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
- Country: Congo, Democratic Republic of the
- Topics: Africa,Conflicts/War/Peace,Civil Unrest
- Reuters ID: LVA001EQ46P1J
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:The aftermath of a mob attack on Indian businesses and vehicles in Democratic Republic of Congo's capital were evident on Friday (August 13).
Congo's police said the mob on Thursday (August 12) looted Indian shops and warehouses, set a car on fire and stoned three other vehicles in Kinshasa's Limete neighbourhood in response to a false rumour that a second Congolese national had died in India.
Several Indian businesses in Kinshasa were looted last week following the death of Joel Malu, a Congolese student in Bangalore, while in police custody.
African diplomats have complained in the past about racism against their citizens living in India, especially in the aftermath of the beating death in 2016 of a Congolese man in Delhi.
Police arrested three people and recovered 40 bales of stolen clothing, according to Kinshasa police commissioner Sylvano Kasongo. The police did not mention any injuries.
Malu was arrested in Bangalore on Aug. 1 on suspicion of drug possession. Indian police said he complained of chest pains and was transferred to hospital, where he died.
His death sparked clashes between protesters and baton-wielding officers in Bangalore the following day.
(Production: Hereward Holland, Christophe Van Der Perre) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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