40 die in DR Congo capital

Heavy gunfire erupted on Monday in several parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital Kinshasa, where the Government said 40 assailants were killed by security forces.

The shooting erupted at the international airport and a military headquarters, causing panic among residents, while police said armed youths had taken hostage several reporters from the Sate television station RTNC.

Government spokesman lambert Mende told AFP that 16 of the attackers had been killed at the airport, 16 at the general staff headquarters and eight more at the RTNC premises.

“No civilian casualties have been reported and no victims in the security forces,” Mende said, adding that the assailants had yet to be identified.

In a televised message, he said the “aggression” was aimed at terrorising citizens.

The US embassy stated that it had “received multiple reports of armed engagements and fighting around Kinshasa”, together with reports of numerous military and police checkpoints and barricades.

“The embassy urges all US citizens in Kinshasa to stay in place and not travel around the city until further notice,” it said in a statement on its website.