At least 72 people, including nine soldiers and one of their wives, were killed when gunmen attacked a village in western Congo amid escalating violence between rival communities, local authorities said.
At least 72 people, including nine soldiers and one soldier’s wife, were killed when gunmen attacked a village in western Congo, local authorities said. (Representative photo) (Reuters) {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}}
Saturday’s attack took place in the village of Kinsele, about 100 kilometres east of the capital, Kinshasa, in an area with insecurity and poor infrastructure where attacks can take days to be reported.
Explore Crickit, your go-to platform to watch matches anytime, anywhere, click here.
Kinsele is in the Kwamas region, which has seen two years of fierce fighting between the Teke and Yaka peoples, leaving hundreds of civilians dead.
Related article | UN report on children in conflict zones: Sudan tops the list, followed by Congo and Haiti
The attackers were members of the Mobondo militia, which describes itself as the defenders of the Yaka people.
“Searches continue to find more bodies in the bush,” David Visaka, the deputy governor of Kwamas region, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. He added that the military “has succeeded in driving these militias away for the second time in one week.” The Mobondo militia first tried to attack the village on Friday.
{{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}}
The dead included nine soldiers and a soldier’s wife, nearby village chief Stanis Libby told UN-funded Radio Okapi after Saturday’s attack.
According to human rights group Human Rights Watch, the conflict over land and customary rights in the Kwamas territory erupted in June 2022 between so-called “indigenous” and “non-indigenous” communities.
Tensions have risen between the Teke people, the historical inhabitants of the area, and farmers from various other ethnic groups, including the Yaka, who have more recently settled near the Congo River.
Despite a ceasefire established in April 2024 in the presence of Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi, inter-communal clashes have continued and intensified in recent weeks.
Congo’s Defense Minister Guy Kabombo Muadiambita visited Kwango province, where the attacked villages are located, on Monday “to experience the reality on the ground,” the ministry said in a statement on social media platform X.
{{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}}
“Kwango province is the last security barrier leading to the city of Kinshasa,” the ministry said, adding that the minister promised “no efforts will be spared against the militias.”
Congo’s army is also struggling to contain widespread violence in the country’s vast east, where fighting has been raging for decades between government forces and more than 120 armed groups, many of them seeking a share of the region’s gold and other resources.
Violence in the east has worsened in recent months. Earlier this month, militias attacked a gold mine in northeastern Congo, killing six Chinese miners and two Congolese army soldiers.
Get the latest on World News, USA News, Hollywood News, Anime and top news from around the world. News / World News / At least 72 killed in militia attack near Congo’s capital
Source link
