Three civil society leaders today confirmed the death of people killed by armed men.
Many people were also missing after the armed men raided a mining encampment near the town of Mongwalu in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s eastern Ituri province.
Army spokesperson Jules Ngongo Tsikudi confirmed a deadly attack had taken place at a mining camp near Mongwalu, but did not detail the number of casualties.
Civil society leaders estimated that between 30 and 50 people were killed. One said the local hospital had been overwhelmed by the number of victims.
Dieudonné Lossa, who leads a collective of civil society groups in Ituri, blamed the killings on the CODECO militia, which has built a reputation for attacking civilian encampments.
Its fighters killed 18 people at a Church in April, and another 60 at a displaced persons camp in February, authorities have said.
Attacks on civilians are daily hazards in Congo’s eastern provinces, where groups like CODECO and other warring militias, as well as a local Islamic State affiliate, routinely spar for territory and resources.
