Journalist kidnapped
His family says that gun men have taken the director of the community radio Bakumbule by force in the bushes. The radio station is located in Pinga in Eastern Congo., a little town of 40 kilometers distance from the province capital Goma.
The region is widely occupied by different militia which fight over power, land and natural resources. So far the country’s official government in the far away capital Kinshasa doesn’t manage to bring security and stability to the Eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Local population is suffering the most of this lack of state’s power in the region.
Family and colleagues fear that Bwira has been killed although his dead body was not found so far. The kidnappers had been asking a very high ransom which the family could not afford. After a few days they got the message of the kidnappers: “We killed already your brother. No need any longer to pay”.
The organization of the community radios “collectif des radios et télévisions communautaires” and the organization “journaliste en danger” (journalist in danger) had right away after the kidnapping informed the provincial government and asked security forces to look for the journalist. But apparently this was in vain. So the family organized a symbolic funeral service.
It is unclear if the kidnappers attacked Bwira Bwalitse because of his work or just to make money. The journalist was responsible for a radio show named “vivre ensemble” (living together). He tried to convince via the radio the warriors to give in and integrate in the community. The day when Bwira Bwalitse was kidnapped there was also fighting going on between two armed groups. They were struggling over power in the area of Pinga where radio Bakumbule is based.
The DRC is a country where press freedom is not respected. Reporter without Borders classifies DRC on place 150 out of 180 countries. In the Eastern part of the country more than 100 armed groups are active so that the population including journalists live in permanent danger. Kidnappings are occur very often because militia use the crime as means of earning money.
