A soldier killed at least 13 people in DR Congo’s Ituri province after his son was buried in his absence, a spokesperson of the Congolese armed forces, FARDC, said on Sunday, July 23.

The shooting happened on Saturday in Nyakova village near Tchomia, a town on the shores of Lake Albert in Ituri, army spokesperson Jules Ngongo said.

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The child had died at a health facility and was buried by the soldier’s in-laws without informing him. Out of anger the soldier opened fire at the funeral and left 13 dead, nine of them were children.

Two of the soldier’s own children were among those he killed, Ngongo said.

The soldier, who fled after the incident, belonged to the naval force based near Lake Albert in the eastern Congolese province of Ituri.

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Local media reports said the military prosecutors have launched an investigation into the incident to find out how the soldier’s commander could not control him, leading to the tragedy.

Eastern DR Congo has been volatile for close to three decades and remains home to more than 130 armed groups accused of atrocities and human right abuses.