Eight people were confirmed dead and three others were wounded in an explosion at a bar located inside Katindo Camp in Goma, a city in North Kivu province, in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Authorities reported the incident occurred Thursday evening, with the provisional death toll provided by the military governor of North Kivu. Emergency services have been deployed to the scene to begin initial investigations and to provide assistance to those affected. The official update was shared on social media by Patrick Muyaya, the country’s Minister of Communications, who emphasized the seriousness of the event and pledged transparency as inquiries proceed.
In the hours following the blast, Muyaya urged calm among the public while investigators work to understand the circumstances surrounding the tragedy. He noted that most of the victims were gathered at the bar at Katindo military camp when the explosion occurred around 7:40 PM local time, adding that relief and forensic teams were on site to support the response efforts.
The North Kivu region has recently seen intensified clashes between government forces and the M23 rebel group, which has carried out attacks on military positions since November 2021. The presence of the M23 in the region remains a source of tension, with authorities citing ongoing security challenges and the potential for further violence as various actors operate in the area.
Historically, Congolese authorities and the M23 wore down a cycle of conflict that drew international attention. A peace agreement was signed in December 2013 after battles with the army, which had been supported by United Nations peacekeeping forces since 2012. In the years that followed, allegations from UN experts pointed to potential involvement by neighboring countries, including Uganda and Rwanda, in supporting rebel factions. Both nations denied those claims, but the accusations underscored the broader regional dimensions of the conflict and the fragile security situation in eastern Congo.