A Congolese soldier fatally shot three fellow soldiers during a heated altercation in conflict-ravaged eastern Congo, officials said Tuesday.
The incident unfolded late Monday in Mungazi, North Kivu province, near the volatile frontline with Rwanda-backed M23 rebels.
Tensions flared among troops who had just received their pay, escalating swiftly into deadly violence, according to local civil society leader Fiston Misona Tabashile.
Two soldiers were killed instantly, while a third succumbed to critical injuries shortly after, Tabashile reported.
Maj. Nestor Mavudisa, a Congolese military spokesperson, confirmed the deaths and said eight additional soldiers were wounded in the clash.
“The perpetrators have been apprehended and are in custody,” Mavudisa stated, assuring residents that they could “go about their business freely.”
The sudden burst of gunfire initially sparked fears of an M23 rebel attack, local miner Jean Kokwe said.
“It was only afterward that some people who were there told us it was Congolese soldiers who had received their pay,” Kokwe explained.
Eastern Congo remains gripped by violence, with M23 among roughly 100 armed groups vying for control of the mineral-rich region.
The ongoing conflict has displaced millions and created one of the world’s most dire humanitarian crises.
Congo’s military continues to battle the well-armed M23 forces, leaving its troops stretched thin across the embattled east.
