Other MoA event in Congo, the Democratic Republic of the on Sat 6th April 2024

A new attack attributed to militiamen from the Cooperative for the Development of Congo (CODECO) left ten dead, including four women, early this Saturday morning in the locality of Galai, in Djugu territory, Banyali Kilo sector, authorities announced local. The attackers, coming from the Andisa village, launched their offensive around 8 a.m. local time, leaving behind ten dead civilians whose bodies are still lying on the ground, in the Mabilindeyi grouping. “At least six bodies have been provisionally collected, but we fear that the toll will be higher. Search operations are continuing,” said Cephas Daniel, youth president of the Banyali Kilo sector, confirming the seriousness of the attack . Dr. Vital Tungulo, president of the local community and the main source of this information, expressed his outrage at this new incursion. "This attack is the work of genocidal militiamen. We found ten bodies on site, including four women. The situation is still volatile because the search continues," he explained to journalists. The Banyali Kilo sector has long been a point of tension due to its strategic position for CODECO militiamen, who have occupied it for several years. Despite a promise from the military governor of Ituri in December 2022 to intervene to dislodge these militiamen, the local population is still waiting for concrete action. "More than a year has passed without any military initiative to drive the militia out of our sector. The population is worried and desperate," Dr Tungulo stressed, adding that recent military victories in other regions reinforce their feeling. of abandonment. Sources on the ground indicate that the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) repelled the attackers, allowing a temporary return to calm in the attacked village. However, an atmosphere of fear persists in the Banyali Kilo sector, exacerbated by repeated attacks by CODECO, particularly in mining areas where militiamen seek to control gold extraction. The situation remains tense in the region, with the Congolese army's efforts to secure affected areas continuing to be tested by the resilience and aggressiveness of armed groups.