ALBAWABA- At least 51 civilians were brutally killed in a coordinated attack by CODECO militants on villages in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, with officials warning the death toll could rise.
The massacre, which took place late Monday in the Djaiba group of villages in Djugu territory, Ituri province, involved homes being set on fire with residents trapped inside, gunfire, and machete executions.
According to Jean Vianney, the head of the village cluster, Congolese soldiers and UN peacekeepers stationed nearby did not intervene.
Local MP Floribert Byaruhanga confirmed that among the dead were 18 children. Civil society groups and eyewitness accounts, including survivor Daniel Kisembo, corroborated the death toll, with most victims found charred in the remains of their homes.
The night before the attack, CODECO militants also raided a local camp for internally displaced people but were repelled by the UN peacekeeping force MONUSCO. However, this did not prevent the following night's slaughter.
CODECO is one of the many armed groups operating in eastern Congo, frequently targeting displacement camps and villages in a brutal conflict over land and resources.
The latest massacre underscores the persistent insecurity in the region, despite the presence of both Congolese forces and international peacekeepers.
