4 police officers killed by "assailants" during a demonstration in eastern DRCongo

Four police officers were killed Friday while overseeing a protest against insecurity in a major commercial hub, Butembo, in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Since November, the Congolese and Ugandan armies have been conducting joint operations against the Allied Democratic Forces ADF, but without succeeding in stopping the massacres. 

The Butembo area is not affected by these operations.

The ADF is accused of being responsible for the massacre of thousands of civilians in eastern Congo and of having committed attacks in Uganda.

During this demonstration, armed men mixed with the crowd and shot at police officers who were supervising the demonstrators,

The provinces of North Kivu and Ituri have been under a state of siege since May 2021. This measure gives full powers to the military and police.

The eastern DRC has been destabilized for nearly three decades due to the activities of hundreds of local and foreign armed groups.