A dozen people have died in two attacks in Ituri, a province in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo hit by chronic unrest, the army, and local observers said Friday.
The attacks were attributed to the Codeco militia that has also been accused of a civilian massacre in June.
An army spokesman, lieutenant Jules Ngongo, told AFP that the three latest deaths occurred “during an attack by militia fighters very early on Friday.”
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Local radio director Daniel Tibasima said he had seen the bodies of “a pastor, an intelligence agent, and a woman,” and added that a well-known local shopkeeper had also been kidnapped.
Meanwhile, another attack on Wednesday night on the shore of Lake Albert left “nine dead, including four-woman, a young girl and four men,” Tibasima added.
A diplomatic source confirmed the toll, and an army spokesman acknowledged clashes with the attackers, adding that the situation was “under control.”
Authorities and communities have been reluctant to talk about a revival of communal conflict between Lendu farmers and Hema breeders that killed tens of thousands of people between 1999 and 2003 in Ituri.
The province has also been hit by an Ebola epidemic that has killed more than 2,000 people since mid-2018.
AFP
