Militia members killed over 20 civilians in a village located in the gold-rich Ituri province of northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Friday, local sources said.

The killings were attributed to the Cooperative for the Development of Congo (Codeco) militia, which asserts that it is advocating for the interests of the Lendu tribe in their conflict against the rival Hema tribe.
 
"Codeco militias attacked the village of Lodjo on Thursday, where they killed eight civilians. They came back on Friday, the current death toll is 36," said Innocent Matukadala, head of the Banyali Kilo administrative center, as quoted by AFP.

He said the Congolese army "arrived too late" to prevent the massacre, adding that "the population is in disarray."

"For now, there are 28 dead (on Friday) and a massive displacement of the population," stated a civil society leader on condition of anonymity.

Other reports indicate that the death toll has reached 23, with one source specifying that among the victims were gold miners, women, and children.

Dive deeper

Since the start of this year, Codeco has been responsible for numerous attacks on villages in the province, resulting in the deaths of dozens of civilians.

Inter-communal conflicts in Ituri led to thousands of deaths between 1999 and 2003. The conflict reignited in 2017, leading to thousands of additional fatalities and widespread displacement of local residents.

Southern Ituri has also been affected by inter-communal violence spreading from neighboring North Kivu province, where attacks attributed to the rebel group Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), linked to the terrorist Islamic State (IS) group, have ravaged the area.

Read next: 15 killed, thousands flee in DR Congo rebel attacks