UN force nearby

Dozens dead after attacks on villages in Congo

There has been serious unrest in the Congo for months. The victims are civilians.(Bild: AFP)

At least 35 civilians have been killed in attacks on a group of villages in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to residents. Armed men had summarily executed numerous people and set fire to houses, explained the head of the affected villages in the province of Ituri, Jean Vianney, on Tuesday. Many victims were burned to death in their homes and there were also injuries. The attack was carried out on Monday evening.

The country's soldiers and UN peacekeepers, who were stationed around three kilometers away, did not intervene. The military and the UN peacekeeping mission Monusco did not initially respond to a request for comment.

Radical militias are said to be responsible
Vianney blamed fighters from the Codeco militia for the attack. It is one of numerous armed groups fighting for land and access to raw materials in the region. In the past, Codeco has been held responsible by the UN for attacks that could constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity. These have included attacks on the Hema ethnic group, which, according to Vianney, was also the target of the attack this time.

(Bild: AFP)

The UN recently warned of an escalation of the conflict in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo after the M23 rebel group captured the city of Goma at the end of January following fierce fighting. The government in Kinshasa accuses neighboring Rwanda of using the M23 to plunder valuable mineral deposits. Rwanda, on the other hand, declared that it was defending itself and the Tutsi ethnic group.