Attackers in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo burned down a farmhouse belonging to President Joseph Kabila Monday, killing a policeman.
Kabila was not at the house near the village of Musienene. It is unclear how the officer was killed.
“We firmly condemn this barbarous act and call on the population…to disassociate from any actions likely to compromise peace and development in this part of the country,” Congolese lawmakers said in a statement.
No one has claimed responsibility for setting the house on fire. But one military official told the French News Agency he blames Mai-Mai militia members, saying they ransacked the home before burning it down.
Attacks by Mai-Mai groups against Congolese and foreign fighters in North Kivu province have grown in recent months.
The DRC has been mired in a political crisis over Kabila’s refusal to step down from power.
His second and last term as president ended in December, 2016. New elections that were supposed have taken place in 2017 never happened. Voting has been put off for at least one more year, adding to the anger among Congolese militias and citizens.
