freelance
July 8, 2006, in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Mwamba, a Congolese journalist who worked for several local publications, was killed by unidentified gunmen who burst into his home in the capital, Kinshasa. He was shot in the leg and died from loss of blood on the way to the hospital, the local press freedom organization Journaliste en Danger (JED) reported.

Information Minister Henri Mova Sakanyi condemned the killing in an interview with the U.N.-backed Radio Okapi, announcing that he would meet with President Joseph Kabila and other high-ranking government officials "to speed the investigation." In March, men wearing military uniforms raided Mwamba's house, stealing a cell phone and $850 in cash, JED reported.

The killing occurred amid campaigning for July 30 presidential and parliamentary elections, the first since independence in 1960. The elections were due to replace a three-year-old transitional government, installed as part of a peace deal to end years of civil war.

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