Dozens of Civilians Killed and Burned in Attack on Refugee Camp in Ituri Congo

UN troops passed near trucks attacked by the CODCO militia group. (Wikimedia Commons/MONUSCO Photos)

JAKARTA - More than 45 civilians were killed in a militia attack on a camp for refugees in Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, on Monday, a UN peacekeeping mission said.

The Cooperative for the Development of the Congo (CODECO) group, one of many militias operating in the conflict-ridden east, is responsible for the killings at the "LALA" camp, MONUSCO said in a statement.

CODECO claims to be defending the interests of the Lendu farmers, who have long been in conflict with the Hema herders. Its fighters have killed hundreds of civilians in Ituri province and forced thousands from their homes, according to the United Nations.

More than 45 people died and at least 10 people were injured in the attack, MONUSCO said, adding that they had been cooperating with provincial authorities to strengthen security in the area, as reported by Reuters, June 13.

The UN refugee agency said armed assailants killed people, including women and children, with guns and machetes. At least 12 people were burnt alive after their shelter was torched, he added.

Meanwhile, Ituri military spokesman Jules Ngongo Tshikudi described the attack as an "act of sabotage" against efforts to restore peace, confirming an investigation was underway.

Separately, Jean Richard Lenga, head of the Bahema Badjere district, said militia members slaughtered 46 people with knives and firearms and burned others in their homes in the middle of the camp.

"The whole village is in mourning right now," he said, adding authorities were still searching for the bodies of the victims.

Many people had fled to the nearby town of Bule in search of a safer place, said Lenga.

The UN humanitarian office (OCHA) said in its latest report that around 70,000 refugees arrived in Bule between April 15 and May 15 due to gun violence in the surrounding area.

Ituri hosts about 1.7 million internally displaced people in total, the office said.

Meanwhile, the head of a civil rights group Charite Banza said the attack came days after dialogue between armed groups in Ituri.

"We have no security here, we say it every day. The bodies of the victims will be buried in a mass grave," Banza said.

It is known, CODECO has frequently targeted refugee camps. They killed around 60 people in another camp near Bule last year, in one of the deadliest massacres.