A concert by Congolese musician Mike Kalambay ended in tragedy last weekend, when nine people were killed in a stampede at Kinshasa’s Stade des Martyrs stadium. The 80,000-capacity venue was reportedly overcrowded, with event organisers blaming “troublemakers” for the incident. It’s believed that 2,000 police officers were present attempting to manage the crowd.
Local media reports suggest that about 30,000 people were present at the concert – less than half of the stadium’s capacity. However, footage shared on social media reportedly showed individuals attempting to climb into the stadium via a fence, leading to crowd disturbances that may have been a key factor in the stampede. One victim was a 10-year-old child, with the other fatalities believed to be adults.
The concert was also live-streamed on YouTube, with worldwide viewers focusing their attention on the chaotic scenes unfolding in Kinshasa. This isn’t the first such incident to have occurred in the city, with a 2017 concert by Congolese star Fally Ipupa seeing 11 audience members killed.
As a result of the latest incident, Kinshasa authorities have closed Stade des Martyrs until further notice, as well as calling for the temporary closure of another stadium – Stade Tata Raphael – while they rethink crowd-control policies. Fally Ipupa’s forthcoming shows are among those cancelled due to the venue’s shuttering
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