At least Thirty-one young people died in a stampede during an army recruitment operation in the Congolese capital Brazzaville on Monday night, the country’s authorities said on Tuesday, November 21. Around 145 people were also injured, government spokesman Thierry Moungalla told the press. A judicial investigation was launched.
A preliminary report by the crisis team set up by the prime minister found 37 deaths. The agents responsible for securing the site said several thousand young candidates needed to be recruited. Some broke open the gate, others jumped over a wall. Numerous images shared on social networks, some of which have been authenticated by Agence France-Presse, show dozens of lifeless corpses dumped in the municipal mortuary and injured people taken to the University Hospital (CHU) of Brazzaville and the University Hospital (CHU) of Brazzaville were admitted to military hospital.
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In at least two videos filmed at the mortuary, the remains of young men lie on the floor, some shirtless, others in shorts and T-shirts.
“We couldn’t all come in at once.”
The Congolese army announced last week the recruitment of 1,500 young people aged 18 to 25 into its ranks. Late Monday evening, candidates stormed the gate of the Michel d’Ornano Stadium in downtown Brazzaville, where recruitment is taking place. There was a stampede in which many people fell and were trampled, residents said.
“There were too many people there, we couldn’t all get in at once,” said a 24-year-old survivor who wished to remain anonymous. “People fell and people stepped on them,” he continues. According to relatives, some of the injured are in serious condition.
In a video shared on Facebook, André Oko Ngakala, public prosecutor who went to the scene of the tragedy, claims that he has launched an investigation “in a flagrant manner” to determine those responsible. Accompanied by military officials responsible for security on site, the prosecutor then said he would go to the three hospital buildings where the injured were being treated.
“Recruitment operations in Brazzaville are suspended until further notice,” said an announcement from the Congolese army command broadcast on state television.
The opposition denounces the state’s responsibility
This tragedy reflects “the dismay of the sacrificed youth” in a country where “the defense and security forces have become the main employers,” denounced the Congolese human rights NGO CAD (Centre for Action for Development).
“The government’s responsibility must be addressed head-on as it failed to assess the risks of its actions,” said the NGO’s executive director, Trésor Nzila, calling for “a full investigation.”
For its part, the Federation of the Congolese Opposition (FOC), which supports the imprisoned General Jean-Marie Michel Mokoko, criticized “the unemployment, poverty and precarity (…) imposed on the youth by the failed economic policies of the camp”. President Sassou Nguesso. For the FOC, “the state is civilly and criminally responsible for this national tragedy.”
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Updated November 21, 2023 at 8:30 p.m.: The preliminary report from the crisis team set up by the prime minister, which reported 37 deaths, was revised downwards by the authorities.