from JEAN KASSONGO in Kinshasa, DRC
DRC Bureau
KINSHASA, (CAJ News) – AT least 24 civilians have been killed since the beginning of July in one of the most volatile states in the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
More than 70 others have kidnapped and thousands displaced.
This is a culmination of a deteriorating security context in the Ituri Province.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that during the first half of July, humanitarian actors recorded a handful of armed attacks in the outlying villages of Boga and Tchabi.
The localities are 100 km south of Bunia, the provincial capital.
Between July 7 and 16, at least 11 civilians were killed whiled more than 70 others were kidnapped, including around 40 children.
Nearly 14 000 people have fled.
“This persistent insecurity makes humanitarian access difficult,” lamented a humanitarian spokesperson.
At the end of May 2021, two simultaneous armed attacks had caused the death of around 60 civilians in Boga and Tchabi and uprooted more than 30 000 people.
Rebel groups are blamed for the crises.
At least 13 civilians were killed during clashes between factions of an armed group between 9 and 11 July in several villages in Bambu in Djugu territory of Ituri.
Health authorities have lamented the looting and destruction of health structures in Nyarada and Kato areas.
The destruction has deprived nearly 13 000 people of health care services.
More than 20 villages have been destroyed and/or looted, causing around 28 500 people to move.
DRC is arguably Sub-Saharan Africa’s most volatile country. It has been in persistent conflict since independence from Belgium in 1960.
It is widely considered the richest country in the world regarding natural resources but remains among the poorest because of unrest.
– CAJ News