At least 42 people reported killed by militia group in Congo’s east

A rebel group in eastern Congo’s Ituri province killed at least 42 people Friday, according to a civil society organization.

Three towns in Djugu territory were attacked by the CODECO militia group, said Dieudonne Lossa, the president of the organization in Banyari Kilo, the area where the attacks took place.

“They burned down several homes. There are also seven people wounded who have not been assisted yet,” Lossa said.

The army confirmed the attack to local media Friday and said it was searching for the perpetrators.

Fighting between CODECO, a loose association of various ethnic Lendu militia groups, and Zaire, a mainly ethnic Hema self-defense group, has been ongoing since 2017 but worsened recently.

CODECO fighters killed at least 32 civilians in February, local officials said. In December, the United Nations said the insurgent group was expanding its areas of control, attacking civilians and members of Congo’s military, and taxing communities in the areas that it holds.

The killings come amid surging violence across eastern Congo, where conflict has simmered for decades. The region has more than 120 armed groups, most fighting for land and control of mines with valuable minerals, and some trying to protect their communities.