Eleven people including military, police and an administrative official were killed Saturday in an ambush attributed to a local militia in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, official sources said Sunday.
Two vehicles coming from Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, were ambushed in the village of Matete, Djugu territory administrator Adel Alingi Mokuba said.
“The death toll is 11, including the deputy territorial administrator in charge of economy and finance, three policemen and four soldiers,” he told AFP.
The killings were the latest attributed to an ethnic militia called CODECO, the Cooperative for the Development of the Congo.
On Friday, DR Congo’s army said it had killed seven fighters of the militia, which claims to defend the interests of the Lendu ethnic group.
The Lendu are predominantly sedentary farmers and have historically clashed with the Hema community of traders and herders.
Ituri is one of several provinces gripped by militia violence in eastern DR…
Source: Guardian Newspaper
