The separatist militia Bakata Katanga entered the large mining town of Lubumbashi in southeastern Congo on the night from Friday to Saturday. This has been heard from the Minister of the Interior of the province of Haut-Katanga.
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The militiamen made it to the center of the city and managed to hoist the flag of the former republic of Katanga at an important crossroads.
All this was accompanied by heavy artillery at night, but on Saturday morning only sporadic shots could be heard. According to a preliminary assessment, two police officers and one soldier were killed. There are also 16 militiamen ‘neutralized’. According to the minister, the Congolese security forces have been ordered to no longer shoot at the militia members, but into the air.
The information minister and spokesman for the provincial government says the situation is now under control.
In clashes between Congolese security forces and the Bakata-Katanga militia, three more soldiers and two militia members recently lost their lives.
The province of Haut-Katanga, rich in copper and cobalt, was created from the fragmentation of the former province of Katanga into four new provinces. Bakata-Katanga strives for secession from the mining province.
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