Mayhem: Lynching Riot Cops in Kinshasa, DR Congo

[jquigley92]

I realy wish all those black people would get out of the way and stop shouting nonsense

[schlibdiver]

We see it.

We know it.

We say it.

Soccer sucks.

[oszagi]

Mr. Bemba has now been arrested in Belgium by Belgian authorities on the account of a warrant issued by the International Criminal for rape; torture; outrages upon personal dignity, in particular humiliating and degrading treatment; and pillaging a town or place in connection with attrocities commited in the Central African Republic. His transferred to Court in The Hague is now expected to take place soon.

[YawBStoopit01]

Can somebody PLEASE get them a goddamn Basketball?????

[limboslam]

Black people are cooooool

[junge1984]

omg i'd be crying under my bed right now LOL. i don't know how they can just walk around the streets with this going on its crazy!

[jimgravesus]

I lived in Kinshasa from 78 to 82. Mobutu may have been robbing the country blind but there was order. The stores were full of goods and the streets were safe (during the day).

[ghettoangel7992]

wats goin on????????/

[vianko21]

im crying watching this video man, God knows Mobutu where r you i miss ya

[ThaHeartOfLife]

i wonder how this footage was released? alot of messed up shit goes down in congo from what i hear, so hmm?

[debulamb]

I filmed this scene with a Canon Optura 600 digital videocam. I own its content and I bear the sole responsibility of its release. Thank you.

[b3autifuldirt]

Holy shit, that was like a small fucking army going after the police there.

[jasonjain]

I don't speak jigaboo. What are they saying?

[vikt0rz]

lmfao!

[chgo60610]

haha! you are so p-c. thanks for the long-forgotten term.

[Currahee05GT]

I think they are arguing over which is better Compton Watts or Harlem?

[stagion]

???

[BigTymeBruin]

I don't want to sound insensitive but where is the lynching in this video? Did I miss something?

[vetrix]

its not july its feb

[LorraineBilonda]

I know that there is a case pending against Bemba at the ICC and have never gotten a clear answer as to why it has yet to be pursued... Isn't there enough evidence to make the same claim for most (if not all) the leaders of the different militia turned political groups?

[debulamb]

You are right. But then again, if you go ahead and prosecute these people,so the thinking goes, there's a danger that these warlords would never abide by any peace agreement. That's why the leaders in Sudan won't allow the UN in Darfur: the presence of peacekeepers is predicated on the culprits being charged at the ICC. It's a shame, Mademoiselle, soni mingi penza!

[LorraineBilonda]

Part 4 and last: Debulamb, my fundamental question has to do with justice. Too often, arrests and accusations have been based on "assumptions" as opposed to concrete evidence. An assiduous investigation into the identity of these sexual predators should be carried out. They should be identified by their victims. And then they should be punished to the fullest extent of the law.

[debulamb]

I entirely agree with you, dear young lady. The sad thing about war-torn regions of Africa is the following: incentives for peace granted to culprits of atrocities often outweigh the legal consequences they ought to face. Hence, the vicious circle of impunity begetting more atrocities... Case in point: Bemba should have been in prison for the crimes against humanity he committed during his so-called liberation war!

[LorraineBilonda]

Part 3: As for the rapes, my heart cries for those women. But, still my question remains as to the identity of the men who committed these atrocious crimes. As you know, a multitude of reports on sexual violence in the DRC has claimed that the most frequent perpetrators of human rights violations and rape are members of the FARDC (eg, see latest MONUC HR report). How do you know that the animals who committed these atrocious crimes are not part of the FARDC?

[debulamb]

I am not the PR representative of the FARDC, and I'm aware of their atrocities too. But on that day, at that location, had even one FARDC element been around, there would have been quite a donnybrook and I wouldn't be around discussing the event with you.

[LorraineBilonda]

Part 2: Anyone can shout out a slogan especially when caught up in the heat of the moment--that doesn't mean anything. Of course, if you had been videotaping INSIDE the stadium where Bemba was giving his speech, then your assumption that the people attending the rally are Bemba supporters would have greater merit.

[debulamb]

Happy for you to make those comments in hindsight and from the comfort of your desk. Again, I was there, Mademoiselle. I spent 4 months in Kinshasa in 2006. You might as well tell me now that the people who burned Werrason's La Samba Playa weren't these very same goons!

[LorraineBilonda]

Then an in-depth investigation should be done of this arson...as well as for the destruction of the Palais de Justice...the bombardment of Bemba's residence while the CIAT members were inside...the murder of Kabila le pere...the assassination of Mme Tante Kabila...the murder of journalist Bwapa...and....etc...

[debulamb]

A school of forensic police has just been inaugurated in Kinshasa, with funding from the French government. Let's hope that in the future Congolese forensic teams would solve these crimes. A caveat though: it was Bemba's militias that started hitting at Joseph Kabila's residence on August 20, 2006. He wanted people to buy his sloganeering about Kabila's alleged weakness.

[LorraineBilonda]

Part 1: Your tautology is forgiven. I have no doubt that you were on the scene. I can understand why you might assume that these men are Bemba supporters given the shouts of "Muana Congo" that one can hear on the video. This in no way supports your assumption that these people (many of whom looked like boys/teenagers on your clip) are really Bemba supporters. In fact, if they were true Bemba supporters, shouldn't they have been INSIDE the stadium listening to Bemba speak?

[debulamb]

I'm not assuming or surmising anything. I'm certain. I was with them, talked with them prior and following the mayhem. As for those teens you think are innocent, you should know that most of the atrocities committed during the war in the Congo (and in Africa for that matter) are carried out by bhang-smoking preteens! If some of these goons were outside the stadium: the place was filled to capacity and the mob spilled in the surrounding streets.

[LorraineBilonda]

No where in my statement do I write that I think these teens/kids/men are innocent. I have too many friends who have been viciously attacked by gangs of kids. The existence of street kids and forced recruitment of children worldwide into militias is a global shame. All of us should be crying out against the destruction of these children's lives.

[debulamb]

Sorry for the misunderstanding then. I do apologize.

[LorraineBilonda]

How can you be so sure that they are Bemba supporters and not members of the street gangs in Kinshasa? Did you interview any of them or recognize any of the individuals known to be Bemba's supporters?

[debulamb]

I was there, on the scene (pardon this tautology),saw them and heard the goons. That day, they raped: one woman who worked for HAM (Haute Autorite des Medias); and five other women of Pastor Sony Kafuta's group called Les Filles de Sarah (Sarah's Daughters)who were fasting nearby at their church Eglise de l'Armee de l'Eternel (Church of the Lord of Hosts)--both locations a short distance from the stadium where Bemba was having his crazed ravings. So, young lady, I am sure of what I am saying.

[florentdelatullaye]

J'était dans le stade ce jour là, j'ai des vidéo (pas encore numérisées) de policier qui se font lyncher avec l'église de Sonny qui brûle. Tu fais bcq d'image. Prochaine fois que je descend à Kin, je te contact.

[ParadigmShift302]

On July 27, 2007?

[debulamb]

:-) More likely a Freudian slip... lol