2008 Congo football riots
2008 CE.
Shown on the map at 0.150°, 29.283°.
On Sunday 14 September 2008, a riot broke out in connection with a football game in Butembo, in the province of Nord-Kivu, in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The teams playing were Socozaki and Nyuki System, which are two local clubs whose games are considered derbies. The riots were sparked by accusations that one of the football players was using witchcraft. Nyuki were losing the game, and their goalkeeper tried to advance up the pitch and cast a spell that would turn the game around. This caused a brawl between the players, and when a police commander tried to intervene, he was pelted by stones from the spectators. To regain control of the situation, the police forces reportedly fired canisters of tear gas into the crowd, an action that caused a stampede. On the next day, dozens of teenagers staged a protest in the town. The regional governor, Julien Paluku Kahongya, attended the funerals and visited the injured in hospital, and promised a full investigation of the events. He reported that the firing of shots into the air by the police had caused panic, and the deaths were then caused by the ensuing mass flight.
Text from the Wikipedia article 2008 Congo football riots, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.