UN: Over 150 killed in DR Congo in two weeks
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The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs issues a warning about "persistent attacks against civilians" in several parts of DR Congo.
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Congolese people that have been internally displaced are seen at the Kigonze IDP camp in Bunia, Ituri on March 2nd, 2023 (Reuters)
The United Nations reported Tuesday that attacks in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo province of Ituri had killed more than 150 people in the last two weeks.
In the mineral-rich region near the border with Uganda, the province and its southern neighbor, North Kivu, have seen an increase in conflict between multiple armed groups.
The Cooperative for the Development of the Congo (CODECO) is a political-religious group that claims to represent the interests of the Lendu ethnic group.
It is considered one of the deadliest of the more than 120 militias operating in the troubled eastern part of the country and is accused of committing a number of ethnic massacres in Ituri.
Meanwhile, the Hema is guarded by the Zaire militia, while the province is also targeted by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), which is affiliated with the "Islamic State" terrorist group.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) issued a warning about "persistent attacks against civilians in three separate districts" – Djugu, Irumu, and Mambasa – that had killed roughly 150 people since the beginning of April.
As a result, Irumu, in particular, has "become a refuge for thousands of people fleeing widespread insecurity," according to the OCHA.
The agency said that attacks on health facilities and other important services have also been recorded.
The security situation in Ituri was "extremely concerning", with the assaults leaving residents "in dire need of assistance and protection," according to Stephane Dujarric, the UN Secretary-General's spokesperson.
Dujarric stated that the UN was dedicated to assisting victims of violence, but cautioned that "delivery of this assistance may be delayed in areas impacted by recent attacks."
According to the spokesperson, local officials told the UN that at least 55 residents were slain when armed gunmen assaulted a Djugu hamlet in a single strike on Friday.
In 2017, the war between the Hema and Lendu populations resurfaced, resulting in thousands of fatalities and the displacement of over 1.5 million people.
Many armed groups afflict most of eastern DR Congo, a legacy of regional battles that erupted in the 1990s and 2000s.
The national government in Kinshasa has proclaimed a state of emergency in Ituri and North Kivu for the last two years, during which police and armed personnel have superseded civil governance.
Since re-emerging from hibernation in late 2021, the M23, a militia dominated by ethnic Tutsis, has gained a run of wins over the army and opposing militias, taking swaths of North Kivu province and threatening the regional capital of Goma.
The seven-nation East African Community began deploying a military force of thousands of troops to eastern Congo in November in an attempt to calm the turbulent region.
