FARDC Lockdown at Bunia's Kigonze IDP Site Enters Second Day Amid Gunfire, Deaths and Looting Reports

Gunfire broke out around 4:00 AM Sunday, Sept 20, 2026 at the Kigonze displaced persons site in Bunia's Mudzi-Mpela neighborhood, Ituri province, as FARDC forces mounted a security lockdown ('bouclage') citing a presumed weapons cache and gunfire allegedly originating from the site. Witnesses reported at least one death — a man in his 40s killed near his doorway — multiple wounded who could not reach medical care, roughly 24 arrests, and forced entries with looting of shops, cash and phones; the urban police commander declined to detail the operation, saying it was 'still ongoing.' The lockdown entered a second day on Monday, Sept 21, with gunfire still audible around and inside the site; families who had spent the night outdoors began evacuating with their belongings after soldiers reportedly told them to gather their possessions, and further arrests were reported. No local authority had issued an official statement confirming the death toll or the justification for the operation, and residents — including children, pregnant women and the elderly exposed outdoors near several schools — said they did not know where to relocate. This is the second bouclage at the same site in under two weeks, after a Sept 8 operation there resulted in 24 arrests.