A militia attack from the Lendu ethnic group has claimed the lives of 51 individuals in northeastern DR Congo, according to local and humanitarian sources, as reported by AFP on Tuesday.
On Monday, members of the Cooperative for the Development of Congo (CODECO) killed 51 people, predominantly those who were displaced, across three neighbouring areas in Ituri province, as stated by humanitarian sources and community leader Jules Tsuba.
Originally a peaceful agricultural cooperative, CODECO has devolved into an armed rebel group in conflict with the rival Hema community.
“This number is still provisional as searches are ongoing. There have been 43 huts set ablaze, with other victims trapped and burned inside their homes,” Tsuba explained.
“There are numerous injured individuals,” he remarked regarding the violence that occurred approximately 80 kilometres (50 miles) northeast of Bunia, the capital of Ituri.
The UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo attempted to intervene to stop the killings, according to humanitarian sources.
Humanitarian sources indicated that this incident appeared to be an act of retaliation following an attack on Saturday by the Zaire militia, which represents the rival Hema community in the same region.
Ituri, rich in gold, experienced a conflict among ethnic militias from 1999 to 2003 that resulted in thousands of deaths until the arrival of a European force.
Violence reignited in 2017, involving clashes between CODECO and the Zaire militia, leading to the deaths of thousands of civilians and causing mass displacements.
