About ten Congolese hunters have been taken hostage since August 19 by Angolan soldiers and police, ACTURDC.COM learned on Saturday. They were captured in the forest of the villages of Paza and Diongo, in the groups of Kinsende and Luvaka, bordering Angola. They are accused of having violated Angolan territory.
The provincial government of Kongo Central, under pressure from the population, has initiated negotiations for their release.
“We are experiencing the consequences of this way of doing things by our government, which we are asking to play its role and secure our borders. I call on all authorities, at all levels, to put all the batteries in motion for the liberation of our compatriots,” appeals Pierre Nsumbu, national deputy, elected from Mbanza-Ngungu, on parliamentary vacation.
These Angolan soldiers and police officers confiscated 30 hunting weapons and cartridges from Congolese hunters.
A group of hunters was released after while others are still detained in Angola, says the sector chief of Gombe Sud, in the territory of Mbanza-Ngungu. The majority of these hunters live in the village of Giongo and five of them, in the village of Paza.
Talks
According to the Angolan authorities, quoted by the provincial Minister of the Interior of Kongo Central, Constant Mamvibidila, “this is a militia to destabilize the country.” He promises that the provincial government “will do everything possible for their release, which should not be delayed.”
Talks are underway between the provincial authorities of Kongo Central and the Angolan consul based in Matadi. MP Pierre Nsumbu indicates that these types of arrests are recurrent “because of the unguarded porous borders”. He cites as proof the one from Kindompolo to Songamani, spread over 51 km.
/acturdc.com
2024-08-31 14:01:32
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