Militia attack claims 15 lives in eastern DR Congo’s Ituri Province

In Ituri region of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, CODECO militia fighters kill 15 people in second assault in less than a week

According to local reports on Sunday, militia fighters in the beleaguered Ituri region of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo are said to have murdered fifteen people in the second such assault in less than a week, marking a catastrophic uptick in violence.

The attackers, who were recognized as CODECO (Cooperative for the Development of the Congo) militia members, claimed to have targeted members of the Hema tribe, a rival group. The event took place close to the town of Tali, as described by Jules Tsuba, the head of the civil society organization in Djugu region, when on Saturday afternoon the CODECO militants attacked motorists along a route.

Witness statements from the site suggest that the victims, 14 males and 1 woman, were brutally beaten, disrobed, and subdued before their deaths. The brutality of the assault was highlighted by Tsuba’s sorrow, “Some victims had their throats cut, others were shot dead.” According to humanitarian sources, the victims’ corpses showed evidence of torture, underscoring the cruelty committed against them.

Administrator Ruphin Mapela of the territory verified the horrifying death toll of fifteen, highlighting how the attack broke the tenuous calm that had been in place for months in the area. Notably, after talks in Nairobi last year, CODECO was one of the armed factions from the Democratic Republic of the Congo that took part in a peace accord. The latest spike in violence highlights how difficult it is to keep things stable and carry out long-term peace measure

In addition to pushing for a comprehensive program aimed at disarming and reintegrating militia militants into their communities, Jules Tsuba urged the administration to speed the peace process. The recent attack follows closely on the heels of another suspected CODECO assault last Tuesday, which claimed the lives of seven individuals at mining sites in Djugu territory.

Source: AFP