Edmond Bahati Monja, journalist and coordinator of Radio Maria in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, was murdered on September 27. According to eyewitnesses, during the evening three men followed him to his home in Ndosho district in the outskirts of Goma. The armed men robbed him and then shot him in the chest at least twice. Edmond Bahati died on the scene and became the latest victim of violence against journalists in the region.

The security situation in Goma, the capital city of North Kivu province, is uncertain as the armed rebel group M23 controls almost the entire area around the city. To improve the defenses of the city, the Congolese regular army allied themselves with other irregular armed groups. However, the presence of the irregulars led to an increase in violence in the city. Many journalists, including Edmond Bahati, investigated the violence committed by irregular armed groups in the region.

“Edmond was a man of peace who put himself at the service of the community and the Church. His death is a great loss,”

says a Radio Maria employee. More than a dozen journalists have been murdered in the last two years in the region, and Edmond Bahati became the latest victim of this violence. He was a husband and a father of three children.

Source: Agenzia Fides

Photo: Al Jazeera English