A few Indians were injured in Congo after the shops they run were attacked, the Centre said on Thursday. This was possibly a reaction to the murder of a 23-year-old Congolese man in Delhi, Spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs Vikas Swarup said. The Indian Embassy in Congo is in contact with local authorities, he said, adding that the situation was under control, ANI reported.
“Thousands of African students continue to benefit from the Indian education system, and we will ensure full safety to them,” Swarup said, reiterating External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj’s assurance that the Indian government was committed to ensuring the safety of the African community.
Olivier Masonga Kitanda was killed in Delhi’s Vasant Kunj area late on May 20. He reportedly got into an argument with a group of locals around midnight, after which the men attacked him violently with bricks and stones. Olivier taught foreign languages at a private institute in the capital.
Congolese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Antoine Boyamba Okombo urged people in Congo to exercise restraint and not seek to retaliate for Kitanda’s death by attacking the homes and shops of Indians in the country, Digital Congo reported. “…Those who live with us have nothing to do with what happened in New Delhi,” he said.
Okombo met with Indian Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo SK Ashok Warrier on Tuesday, seeking assurance for the safety of Congolese citizens in India in accordance with the Vienna Convention, which obliges each state to protect foreign citizens in their territories.
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