A local official and a civil society activist reported on Monday that at least 14 people were killed in the eastern Congolese province of Ituri on Sunday when militia attacked parishioners worshipping in a church.
Djugu territory administrator Ruphin Mapela and civil society activist Dieudonne Lossa said the attack was carried out by the Cooperative for the Development of the Congo (CODECO), one of numerous militias operating in the conflict-torn east.
“The victims were praying to the Lord, but unfortunately, militiamen identified as CODECO opened fire on them,” Lossa explained.
According to both, nine civilians, four attackers, and a soldier were slain.
Mapela said militants assaulted the Mesa, Cepac, and Aumopro churches in the Bahema-Nord chiefdom, which are located on the shore of Lake Albert.
“We urge the people to remain calm as the armed forces pursue these criminals in order to bring them to justice,” Ituri army spokesperson Jules Ngongo Tshikudi said.
CODECO claims to be defending the interests of Lendu farmers, who have long clashed with Hema herders.
The United Nations humanitarian organisation said the CODECO raids have exacerbated a long-standing humanitarian catastrophe in Ituri province, where 3 million people are in severe need of assistance.
