DR Congo: At Least 50 Dead Following Militia Attack On Camp

UN NEWS—At least 50 people, including women and children, were killed in an attack on Tuesday night at a site for internally displaced people in Savo, Ituri Province, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the UN said on Wednesday.

According to the UN Mission in the country (MONUSCO), the attack was carried out by members of the so-called Cooperative for the Development of the Congo (CODECO) – a loose association of various Lendu militia groups.

The head of the mission, Bintou Keita, strongly condemned the attack, that also left 36 injured. 

MONUSCO dispatched a patrol to the site upon receiving an alert about the attack. They also notified national security forces as well as its community alert network.

Confrontation

Briefing journalists in New York, the Secretary-General’s Deputy Spokesperson said that UN peacekeepers exchanged fire with the assailants shortly after arriving on the scene.

The blue helmets also conducted joint operations with the Congolese army into the early morning, pushing the assailants out of the area and securing the site to prevent further immediate attacks.

In the meantime, humanitarian partners have started providing medical supplies. 

According to the Spokesperson, humanitarian officials are reporting that access by road is restricted due to insecurity, and the delivery of humanitarian assistance is challenged. 

The area is home to 600,000 displaced people.