The U.N. peacekeeping mission reported that a militia attack on a refugee camp in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ituri region early Monday killed more than 45 civilians.
In a statement, MONUSCO blamed the “LALA” camp killings on the Cooperative for the Development of the Congo (CODECO), one of many militias in the east.
CODECO represents Lendu farmers, who have long fought Hema herders. According to the U.N., its fighters have killed hundreds of civilians in the Ituri region and displaced thousands.
MONUSCO reported that the incident killed over 45 individuals and wounded at least 10.
According to the U.N. refugee agency, guns and machetes killed women and children. It claimed that shelter fires killed at least 12 individuals.
Ituri army spokesman Jules Ngongo Tshikudi called the attack an “act of sabotage” against peace efforts and said investigations were underway.
Bahema Badjere district chief Jean Richard Lenga reported militiamen killed 46 individuals with knives and firearms and burned others in their homes in the camp.
“The whole village is in mourning now,” he remarked. Lenga said many had sought refuge in Bule.
According to the U.N. humanitarian office (OCHA), 70,000 displaced individuals arrived in Bule between April 15 and May 15.
It said 1.7 million IDPs live in Ituri. Charite Banza, president of a civil rights group, said the attack occurred days after an Ituri armed group conversation.
“We don’t have security here,” Banza stated. He announced a mass grave for the victims.
CODECO often targets displacement camps. Last year, it killed 60 people at a camp near Bule.
