About 100 journalists in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Wednesday converged in front of the army headquarters to protest against killings and other forms of violence directed at journalists in the country.
During the protest, the journalists, who wanted to create awareness about the dangers posed by their profession, submitted a memorandum containing their grievances to DRC's defense minister Chikez Diemu.
According to defense minister, insecurity affected not only the journalists but also the entire country. Diemu said there was need to reform the army in order to deal effectively with the security situation in the country.
Violence is increasingly being directed at journalists in the DRC. On June 13, Maheshe, a 31-year-old journalist working for the UN sponsored radio Okapi, was shot dead by two people in civilian clothing on a street in Bukavu, eastern DRC, as he and two friends prepared to enter a UN-marked car.
Other journalists who have been killed on the line of duty in the country include Franck Ngyke of DRC's daily "La Reference Plus, " who was killed together with his wife in Kinshasa, capital of the DRC, in 2005 and Bapwa Mwamba, who was murdered in 2006, according to the local press.
