Congo gold quarry attack leaves at least 13 dead

An overnight assault by unidentified militia at a gold quarry in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo resulted in the death of at least 13 individuals, an army spokesperson and a civil society leader said on Tuesday.

According to Dieudonne Lossa, president of Ituri province civil society, the incident occurred on Monday night at the privately owned Shaba mining quarry in Aru territory, situated near the Ugandan border in Ituri province.

The attackers claimed the lives of thirteen individuals, causing severe injuries to nine others and seizing several hostages to facilitate the transportation of their looted gold and other valuables, Lossa told media.

He mentioned that the region is frequented by two armed factions: the Cooperative for the Development of the Congo (CODECO) and a competing militia known as Zaire.

These groups are just a few among the numerous militias operating in the conflict-stricken eastern region of Congo.

Earlier, Lossa attributed responsibility to CODECO for a distinct assault that occurred on Sunday, resulting in the deaths of at least 14 individuals in a church in Ituri province. CODECO purports to safeguard the interests of Lendu farmers against Hema herders.

The death toll for the quarry assault was confirmed as 14 by Jules Ngongo Tshikudi, the spokesperson for the Ituri army, who refrained from attributing responsibility.

“Operations are underway in this area to put an end to the adventure of these armed men who sow desolation and terror in this border zone with Uganda,” he said.

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