It happened by the Unity stadium in Goma, injuring civilians and the soldier who had been holding the grenade, according to statement from the governor of North Kivu governor that was read out by his spokesman Lt Col Guillaume Ddjike Kaiko on Thursday.

He said they were being treated at the local provincial hospital.

The governor, Maj Gen Cirimwami Nkuba Peter, sent his sympathies to the families of those affected and urged the public to remain calm in what had already been a tense time.

Since early September, a military court has been hearing a case of six soldiers and officers from the elite presidential guard in connection with the killing of at least 50 civilians last month.

It followed a crackdown on a planned peaceful protest in Goma against UN peacekeepers in the region. Human Rights Watch then criticised the action as "an extremely callous" and "unlawful".

Since 2021, Ituri and North Kivu provinces have been placed under the supervision of the security forces, with civilian rulers have been replaced by the military and police.

Military rule was imposed with the aim of fighting armed groups operating in the region.