Cultural activities are banned in the two largest stadiums in the capital Kinshasa after nine people were killed at gospel artist Mike Kalambayi’s concert at the Stade des Martyrs on Saturday, July 27. The 80,000-seat stadium was packed, and security forces were overwhelmed. The deputy prime minister in charge of the interior and security chaired a crisis meeting on Saturday. However, the authorities have promised not to ignore the legal proceedings.
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With our correspondent in Kinshasa, Pascal Mulegwa
The Martyrs Stadium and that of May 20 will now only be open to sports activities until further notice. A measure whose first consequence is to cancel, for the moment, the two concerts planned for August by Congolese artists Fally Ipupa and Ferré Gola. After the tragedy that occurred during Mike Kalambayi’s concert this Saturday, July 27 in the capital of the DRCthe organizers of the event nevertheless claim to have taken the necessary precautions to avoid this kind of tragedy.
Law enforcement pointed at
The decisions come after the stampede that left several dead on Saturday, with some officials accusing the police of mismanaging the crowd and creating the stampedes that led to the deaths. Authorities have announced a death toll of nine and dozens injured, but organizers say they still want to make sure the victims are real and identifiable.
The investigation conducted by the judicial police, according to our sources, is being conducted with the organizers, the managers of the Martyrs’ Stadium and with the police, who deployed fewer officers than expected. The investigators are trying to understand how the events unfolded, because according to our information, the victims were recorded in various places, including inside the stadium where some of them died of suffocation.
Outside the stadium, as police tried to push back some of the spectators, some who wanted to enter trampled others.
Read alsoDRC: At least nine dead in stampede at Martyrs stadium