Wednesday marked a day of mourning in the Republic of Congo following the tragic incident where 31 young individuals were fatally trampled in a stadium located in the capital of the central African nation earlier this week.
A stampede took place on Monday evening in a stadium located in the capital city of Brazzaville, as thousands of young individuals had gathered in response to an army recruitment campaign.
On Tuesday night, Congolese government spokesman Thierry Moungala reported that 31 individuals had lost their lives, with 145 others sustaining injuries.
He further announced the declaration of a day of mourning scheduled for the following day.
According to a media correspondent, government offices displayed flags at half-mast, schools remained closed, and bars were shut in Brazzaville on Wednesday. Despite this, regular traffic flow persisted as usual.
The state prosecutor of Congo-Brazzaville has initiated an investigation into the stampede incident.
Opposition political parties and rights groups, among other critics, have accused the government of responsibility for the stampede and have condemned the pervasive issue of youth unemployment.
As per the World Bank, the country’s youth unemployment rate currently stands at approximately 42 percent.
Despite its abundant oil and gas reserves, the Republic of Congo, also known as Congo-Brazzaville, remains an impoverished nation with a population of about 5.7 million people.
