A militia killed at least 23 people in attacks on several villages in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ituri province in recent days, local authorities said on Saturday.
The Cooperative for the Development of the Congo (CODECO), one of the numerous armed groups active in the conflict-ridden east, carried out the killings in Djugu territory on Thursday and Friday, according to two local community leaders who spoke to Reuters.
“Most of the victims were killed with machetes, but those who tried to flee were shot. In all these villages, people’s belongings were taken, and houses were burnt down,” said Vital Tungulo, president of Djugu’s Nyali-Kilo community.
The motive for the attacks remains unclear, though militia violence in Congo is often linked to competition for influence and the region’s rich mineral resources.
The United Nations Joint Human Rights Office (UNJHRO) reported in March that the human rights situation in Ituri has deteriorated since the beginning of the year, with CODECO carrying out more attacks.
The army spokesperson in Ituri, Jules Ngongo Tshikudi, confirmed the attacks and described them as unacceptable.
According to a U.N. peacekeeping mission report released in March, CODECO and the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) are responsible for most civilian killings in eastern DRC.
Local resident and community leader Daniel Anikumu said they had started burying those killed, including the burial of 11 people in a mass grave in the village of Gangala.
It was not possible to reach CODECO for comment on the latest attacks.
