Suspected CODECO militiamen kill three people in Ituri
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Kivumorningpost
Suspected CODECO militiamen killed at least three people and burnt down 15 houses in the villages of Lodja and Oche, in Djugu territory, Ituri. The attack took place overnight from Monday to Tuesday, while gunfire in Bule caused panic at the Plaine Savo displacement site, according to local sources cited by Kivumorningpost.
At least three people were killed and 15 houses were burnt down in an attack attributed to suspected CODECO militiamen in the villages of Lodja and Oche, in Bahema-Nord chiefdom, Djugu territory, according to local sources cited by Kivumorningpost. Several belongings were also looted and residents fled their homes.
Gunfire heard on Tuesday in Bule, in Bahema-Badjere chiefdom, caused panic at the Plaine Savo displacement site. Charité Banza Bavi, president of the Bahema-Nord civil society group, called on the suspected militiamen to lay down their arms and on the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) to strengthen the protection of civilians and their property.
The violence comes a day after another attack attributed to CODECO in three villages in Ituri, which led to families being displaced, according to the previous report on CODECO attacks. The military governor of Ituri has also been recalled to Kinshasa by his superiors since Monday, notably for discussions on the province’s security situation, according to sources from his office.
