A brutal assault by the Codeco militia has left at least 69 people dead in the Ituri province of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The massacre occurred in the gold-rich northeastern region near the Ugandan border, where ethnic tensions between farming and pastoral communities remain high.
Security sources confirmed the death toll reached 69, while local civil protection officials suggested the number of victims may exceed 70.
Recovery efforts were severely hampered for several days as Codeco fighters maintained a heavy presence, preventing authorities from safely reaching the site.
The Codeco militia claims to champion the Lendu community, frequently clashing with the Hema people and their associated armed group, the CRP.
The region is further destabilized by the Allied Democratic Forces, a group linked to the Islamic State that recently killed dozens more.
Joint military operations between the Congolese and Ugandan armies continue to struggle against the multifaceted insurgency currently gripping the restive eastern provinces.
The United Nations has issued an urgent warning regarding this deadly surge in violence, which specifically targets defenseless civilians across the territory.
Decades of conflict fueled by competition over mineral wealth have turned the mineral-rich landscape into a site of persistent and tragic bloodshed.
The international community watches with growing alarm as the humanitarian situation deteriorates amid this latest cycle of militia-driven ethnic warfare.
