KINSHASA, DRC (All non-sporting events have been suspended at sports venues across Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, after a stampede at a concert left at least 9 dead at Stade des Martyrs.
According to Xinhua, the ban, announced by the DRC’s Deputy Prime Minister for Interior Jacquemain Shabani, includes Stade des Martyrs and Stade de Tata Raphael.
“Our priority is to keep our people safe. We cannot tolerate festive events that endanger the lives of our fellow citizens. All these activities are temporarily suspended. Organizers will have to consider other, more secure locations for their events,” Shabani said, announcing the temporary halt to non-sports events at the city’s major venues.
The stampede occurred during a concert by Mike Kalambayi at the stadium on Saturday. According to the Associated Press, it is still unclear what led to the stampede but a local music management company that organized the event told the AP that the incident was sparked after “security services tried to neutralize some troublemakers.”
According to media reports, the incident left at least 9 people dead, including a pregnant woman, and numerous injured.
The AP reported that an estimated 30,000 people were in attendance at the show and video from the event showed large crowds outside of the 80,000-capacity stadium, while people inside could be seen rushing to the center stage.
In 2022,11 people were killed in a crowd surge incident at the stadium during a concert by Congolese musician Fally Ipupa. According to local media reports, the concert attracted more than 120,000 people.
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