Seven civilians including two children were killed in the attack on a mining town by a militia in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, AFP learned on Saturday from a local source.
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The militiamen of the armed group Coopérative pour le développement du Congo (Codeco) carried out an attack on Friday against the mining town of Mungwalu in the territory of Djugu, north of Bunia, the provincial capital of Ituri. "
Seven civilians were killed by these militiamen, including two children, a pregnant woman and four men,
" Chérubin Nkuku Ndilawa, a local civil society official, told AFP.
Panicked, residents fled the city to seek refuge in neighboring towns, but "
two Codeco militiamen captured by angry youths were burned alive,
" he said.
The army said it had "
fiercely repelled
" this "
attempted incursion
", according to its regional spokesperson, Lieutenant Jules Ngongo.
The military intervened and flew over the area aboard at least two combat helicopters, witnesses said.
"
The provisional toll of this operation is 36 Codeco militiamen killed and eight others captured,
" Lieutenant Ngongo told reporters.
While welcoming the intervention of the army, the officer said he regretted the fact that "
a bomb
" dropped from an army helicopter "
fell in the mining area of Camp Blangete, causing the death of two diggers. craftsmen and injuring three others
”.
The Codeco are members of a local armed group who claim to defend the interests of the Lendu community, one of the communities of Ituri.
Made up of different factions, without a single command, the Codeco attack members of other communities, mainly the Hema.
After years of war between mainly the Hema and the Lendu, Ituri has experienced relative calm for almost 20 years.
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A region rich in gold and supplied with oil, Ituri returned to violence at the end of 2017, attributed mainly to the Codeco militia, which left thousands of people dead.
Last week, more than 100 people were killed there despite a state of siege declared earlier this year.