Suspected rebels kill at least 52 in eastern DR Congo

By James Tasamba

KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) – Suspected rebels killed at least 52 people early Sunday in Ituri province in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

The attack, attributed to the Cooperative for the Development of Congo (CODECO) militia group, took place at a mining site in the Banyali Kilo sector in Djugu territory, according to Jean Ladis Maboso, the territory’s administrator.

“The provisional death toll is 52 and more than 100 civilians are missing and several properties were looted by the rebels,” Maboso told reporters.

“We condemn this killing of civilians. The militiamen took advantage of the absence of security forces to execute civilians in the morning hours. This heinous crime must not go unnoticed,” he said.

Businesses remained paralyzed for most of the day in the area, with reports of a mass movement of the population to supposedly secure places, local media reported.

CODECO has intensified attacks on villages in Ituri since last November, destroying nearly 1,300 homes in one such attack, according to local authorities.

The Ituri Parliamentary Caucus in February called on the UN to blacklist the CODECO militia as a terrorist organization.

President Felix Tshisekedi proclaimed a state of siege in Ituri and North Kivu provinces in May last year, replacing senior civilian officials with army officers in a bid to curb growing insecurity.

However, rights activists and politicians say that this has had little impact in curbing violence.