Residents living near the ‘Cité de l’OUA’ area, where the office of the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo is located, heard heavy gunfire overnight, causing panic and fear among them.
When the gunfire first began in this area located in Ngaliema Commune of Kinshasa, many residents did not know what was happening, but the incident raised concerns about the security of the nearby government offices.
Nearly an hour after the gunshots started, it was revealed that the shooting occurred when more than 30 inmates attempted to escape from the military prosecutor’s detention facility in Ngaliema.
Soldiers from the Republican Guard (GR), the unit responsible for protecting senior government officials, searched for the escaped prisoners. Reports indicate that they captured many of them and returned them to the detention facility.
One of those recaptured was seen injured, with blood on his hands and clothing. He was heard pleading with the soldiers as he sat on the ground while being questioned.
By the morning of July 21, 2026, the soldiers were still searching for the remaining escapees who had not yet been found in order to return them to the detention facility.
