Around 20 people have been killed and seven others abducted over the weekend in clashes between rival militias in two towns in Ituri province in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), amid a spike in insecurity in the area in recent months.
Security sources quoted by the Congolese radio station Radio Okapi have indicated that the clashes took place in Loga and Mbijo, in the territory of Djugu, and added that they were carried out by the armed group Cooperative for the Development of Congo (CODECO) and the Popular Front of Self-Defense (FPAC-Zaire).
The clashes, during which houses and stores were looted and burned, broke out after the death of a CODECO teacher at the hands of the FPAC-Zaire. In addition, the vehicle of a non-governmental organization was intercepted by militiamen in Loga, without further details on the incident.
CODECO is predominantly composed of members of the Lendu community and FPAC-Zaire is mainly composed of members of the Hema community. CODECO increased attacks in eastern DRC since 2019, leading to the emergence of this self-defense militia, which has brought back memories of the conflict between the Hema and Lendu between 1999 and 2007 over grazing rights and political representation, which resulted in nearly 50,000 deaths.
