Africa-Press. At least 70 people, mostly civilians, were killed by armed individuals linked to a militia in northeast Democratic Republic of Congo, according to local and security sources on Saturday, amid international condemnation.
This attack is the latest in a series of assaults in Ituri province, which is rich in gold and borders Uganda, and has suffered from violence for years.
Sources reported that the attack, which occurred at the end of April, was carried out by a militia that claims to defend the rights of the Lendu ethnic group, whose members primarily rely on agriculture, particularly against the Hema ethnic group, which mainly depends on pastoralism.
The recovery of the victims was delayed for several days due to insecurity in the area caused by the presence of militia members, according to sources.
Security sources confirmed the death toll of 70, while a civil society official in Ituri province stated that the preliminary toll of the attack “exceeds seventy dead.”
Other armed groups are active in the region, notably the Allied Democratic Forces, formed by former Ugandan rebels who pledged allegiance to a terrorist organization, and the Conference for the People’s Revolution, which claims to fight for the interests of the Hema ethnic group.
Since 2021, the Ugandan army has been deployed alongside the Congolese army in northern North Kivu and Ituri to combat the Allied Democratic Forces.
The Congolese army sometimes relies on the militia as auxiliary forces.
International Condemnation
In a related development, the United Nations mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo condemned on Saturday in a statement a “wave of deadly attacks targeting civilians” in the eastern regions of the country, where a large number of armed groups are active.
The mission reported that “dozens of civilians have been killed in recent days” in several towns located in Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu provinces, without providing further details about the circumstances of these attacks and the casualty figures.
The statement expressed MONUSCO’s grave concern over “reports of airstrikes and shelling that occurred on May 8 in the Kilolirwi and Mushaki areas in North Kivu, resulting in civilian casualties.”
On Thursday, it was reported that at least 36 people were killed since Tuesday in several attacks carried out by the Allied Democratic Forces in Ituri and North Kivu.
