Africa-Press. Civil society activists in the Republic of Congo have called on their authorities and those of the Democratic Republic of Congo to provide clarifications regarding the fate of two Congolese security personnel who are still missing, following an armed clash that occurred over a week ago between two river patrols on the Congo River near the Makotimboko area.
The clash took place on the night of August 26 to 27, when gunfire erupted between river patrols from the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo. During the incident, the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo temporarily detained several Congolese security personnel, while two of them remain missing to this day.
Civil society in Brazzaville has urged the authorities to take action to ascertain the fate of the missing officers and has demanded full compensation for two other officers who were detained during the incident and sustained injuries.
Roch Yolog Nzoubou, coordinator of the Human Rights and Development Circle, stated that maintaining good neighborly relations between the two countries should not come at the expense of the victims or their families. He urged the authorities in Brazzaville to demand that Kinshasa do everything possible to determine the fate of the missing officers and to work on recovering their bodies, should their deaths be confirmed, to return them to their families for a proper burial.
The activist noted that the two officers who were detained during the incident were reportedly subjected to cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment, pointing out that images of them during their detention circulated on social media, which sparked widespread criticism.
On August 29, the Congolese Prime Minister Anatole Collinet Makosso visited the two officers who were receiving treatment at the central military hospital in Brazzaville to check on their health condition. These developments come at a time when the authorities in both countries are seeking to contain the fallout from the incident and prevent escalating tensions along their river border.
Earlier, the Ministers of Defense and Interior of the Republic of Congo confirmed during a session before members of the Defense and Security Committee in the National Assembly in Brazzaville that several islands in the Congo River are inhabited by Congolese citizens, as part of what they described as the “spirit of good neighborliness.”
The Minister of Defense described the clash as an “unfortunate incident,” while condemning the circulation of what he termed “humiliating images” of the detained officers, affirming that the government prioritizes dialogue and coordination with the Democratic Republic of Congo to address the aftermath of the incident and maintain relations between the two countries.
