The key facts

  • The attack on the Haut-Katanga provincial headquarters in Lubumbashi took place on Friday morning, at around 10:00 local time
  • Two people were killed: the police officer attacked by the perpetrator, and the attacker himself, who was shot by a guard
  • According to local media, four more guards were seriously injured and hospitalized; the attacker's identity is being established

What happened in Lubumbashi

On Friday morning, at around 10:00 local time (08:00 GMT), an unidentified man armed with two machetes forcibly broke through the entrance to the headquarters of Haut-Katanga Province in Lubumbashi, in the south of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and tried to disarm one of the guards on duty, police and provincial authorities said. The situation quickly escalated: another guard nearby opened fire and killed the attacker. According to Anadolu, two people were ultimately killed — a police officer who was initially attacked by the perpetrator, and the attacker himself.

Casualties and the investigation

Local media reported that four more security officers sustained serious injuries and were taken to a nearby medical facility. Jean-Jacques Kashiba, the Provincial Minister of Interior and Security of Haut-Katanga, said an extraordinary meeting of the provincial security council on the matter is expected. According to him, an investigation is underway to establish the attacker's identity and the exact circumstances of the incident.