BUNIA, DR Congo: At least 15 people were killed in an attack by armed militia groups on a village in the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, local officials and Congolese residents said.
Dozens of civilians have been killed this year in attacks by Cooperative for the Development of Congo (CODECO) armed group which, according to rival groups, mining gold in the area.
The last attack took place in Galay village in Ituri province.
An administrative official for Banyali Kilo district, that includes the village, Innocent Matukadala, said “They just started firing on everybody.”
Matukadala said at least 15 people were killed, but the death toll could be higher, with many still missing after jumping into the Ituri River to escape the attack.
An emergency worker, who asked not to be named, said that 16 bodies were collected in the village square. They included seven women, one of whom was pregnant.
The Action Against Hunger (ACF) suspended operations in parts of Ituri province this week due to increased attacks by CODECO and other groups.
Florian Monnerie, director of ACF in the Democratic Republic of Congo, said all armed groups threaten workers.
United Nations peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo are due to leave by the end of this year, but hundreds of troops remain in Ituri trying to stop the violence.
CODECO, which has several thousand fighters and aims to protect the people of Lendu against rivals from the Hema tribe, has also fought against the DRC’s army.
Between 1999 and 2003, the conflict between the two communities left thousands dead.
After more than a decade of relative calm, the conflicts escalated again in 2017. According to the United Nations, thousands of people have died and more than 1.5 million people have been displaced from their homes.
