Over 500 civilians killed, 1M displaced in 2 months in eastern DR Congo: MONUSCO

By Godfrey Olukya

KAMPALA, Uganda (AA) - Attacks by armed groups over the past two months have claimed the lives of more than 500 civilians and displaced more than a million others in the territories of Djugu and Mahagi in Ituri province in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, an official said Wednesday.

UN radio in DR Congo was quoting the chief office manager of MONUSCO in Ituri, Marc Karna Soro, who was addressing journalists in the city of Bunia.

It said that Soro, who had just returned from a mission in southern Irumu territory, spoke about the overall security situation in the province. He said that 530 people were killed in two months and more than a million displaced people are concentrated around various MONUSCO bases.

Eastern DR Congo provinces including Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu have long suffered from attacks by armed groups who kill civilians and loot property in addition to raping women and girls.