Rebel fighters kill at least 69 people in northeastern DR Congo

Security officials accidental CODECO militia groups carried retired the onslaught successful Ituri province.

An onslaught by equipped rebels has killed astatine slightest 69 radical successful Ituri state successful the conflict-torn northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), according to information officials.

For much than 30 years, the mineral-rich eastbound DRC has been a battleground for assorted equipped groups, vying for power of its galore mines.

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Two taste groups – the Hema and the Lendu – person been locked successful a long-running convulsive struggle successful Ituri, a gold-rich state that borders Uganda and South Sudan.

Armed men affiliated with the Cooperative for the Development of the Congo (CODECO) conjugation of militia groups, which claims to support the Lendu, carried retired attacks successful respective villages connected April 28, section and information sources told the AFP quality agency.

These attacks followed an earlier battle by different equipped group, the Convention for the Popular Revolution (CRP) – which says it fights for the Hema assemblage – connected positions held by the Congolese service (FARDC) adjacent the locality of Pimbo, they said.

More than 70 radical were killed erstwhile CODECO fighters launched the retaliatory attacks successful precocious April, civilian nine person Dieudonne Losa told AFP.

Two different information sources, talking connected information of anonymity, confirmed the attacks, with 1 stating a decease toll of astatine slightest 69, including 19 militia members and soldiers.

The beingness of CODECO fighters delayed the betterment of the bodies for respective days, they said.

“Only 25 bodies person been buried,” Losa said connected Saturday, adding respective sets of remains had yet to beryllium recovered.

A humanitarian root described bodies “strewn connected the ground” adjacent the colony of Bassa, 1 of the areas targeted.

Avoiding retaliation

The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission successful the DRC (MONUSCO) said connected April 30 it had rescued “nearly 200 radical caught nether fire” from the CRP battle connected the FARDC.

On Saturday, it said it “strongly condemns the caller question of deadly attacks targeting civilians” successful the restive east.

The Ente association, a nonprofit representing the Hema community, described the killings arsenic a “massacre”, urging its members to debar retaliation.

Famous for its mineral wealth, ranging from cobalt and copper to uranium and diamonds, the erstwhile Belgian colony has agelong been beset by corruption and bloodshed.

Since aboriginal 2025, Ituri has seen a resurgence of the CRP, a radical founded by convicted Congolese strongman Thomas Lubanga.

He was recovered blameworthy successful 2012 by the International Criminal Court for recruiting children into his rebel service and released successful 2020 connected completion of his situation sentence.

Fighting betwixt the CRP, the Congolese army, and the CODECO has been marked by wide abuses and killings of civilians.

The portion besides faces ongoing attacks by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a radical formed by erstwhile Ugandan rebels that has pledged allegiance to ISIL (ISIS).

Rawya Rageh, a elder situation advisor astatine Amnesty International, told Al Jazeera that authorities forces should beryllium doing much to support civilians successful the region.

“There are aggregate challenges facing the Congolese authorities. Eastern DRC is simply a immense area. There are aggregate competing actors – M23, ADF, CODECO. With a radical similar ADF, for example, they capitalise connected information gaps. Most of the forces are overstretched responding to the menace from M23,” she said.

“We bash expect much from the information forces. In particular, with the confrontations with the ADF, we spot full areas that are emptied of troops that person been diverted to different beforehand lines, leaving civilians wholly susceptible to ADF and different equipped groups.”