According to the chairman of a civil society organization and a local resident in the Democratic Republic of the Congo northeastern Ituri province, at least 30 people were killed in a village raid on Friday.
The event happened in the morning in Banyali Kilo, a region in conflict-torn Ituri, according to Army spokesperson Jules Ngongo Tshikudi, who did not release a casualty toll since the military was still investigating the area.
“They set fire to several houses, looted properties, and killed around 30 people, both men, and women,” Charite Banza, the chairman of the local civic group, stated.
According to Jean Basiloke, a resident of Banyali Kilo, some of the 35 people killed were children.
He, Banza, and Tshikudi blamed CODECO members, one of the numerous armed organizations that have destabilized Congo’s forested eastern area.
In an attempt to suppress militia turmoil in the country’s vast mineral-rich east, the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo declared a state of siege on the provinces of Ituri and North Kivu in 2021. However, the bloodshed and rebel activity have not stopped.
