Armed men stormed an artisanal gold mine in Ituri, in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s northeast, killing at least 35 people.
This comes two days after the first year of the siege in Ituri was commemorated.
The attack on the mine was confirmed by Jean-Pierre Bikilisende, mayor of the rural commune of Mungwalu in Djugu territory (Ituri, north-east), who said the attack was carried out by the Cooperative for the Development of Congo.
Among the fatalities were “a four-month-old baby and a lady.” “This toll is tentative,” Bikilisende stated, “since there are more victims dead whose remains were placed into gold pits and several other citizens are missing.”
“Pluto has 29 bodies that have been returned to the city. On the place, six burnt remains were buried “Bikilisende was introduced.
Several more were said to have suffered significant injuries, with nine of them being admitted to Mungwalu’s general hospital.
An estimated 50 individuals were slain in the incident, according to Cherubin Kukundila, one of Mungwalu’s civil society leaders.
During the invasion, Codeco militiamen robbed shops, confiscated gold miners’ products, and torched residences, rendering the area uninhabitable, according to Kukundila.
Ituri province is gold-rich, while its subsurface is oil-rich. The “Camp Blanquette” artisanal gold mine is located in the jungle about 7 kilometers from Mungwalu in Djugu region (Ituri), a stronghold of the militant group Codeco.
The authorities have barred the military from approaching the artisanal mines exploited by indigenous people and a diverse population from numerous provinces in the east of the DRC in this area.
The closest military post is 8 kilometers away from the site of the killing.
-Attacks without cause
The Codeco militia is a religious sect-based armed organization. It claims to be defending members of the Lendu community against the rival Hema community and security authorities, and is one of the most dangerous gangs in eastern Congo.
Codeco militiamen assault displaced persons and aid workers in addition to civilians and military, with no apparent cause for the violence.
Since the arrival of the Codeco militia in late 2017, the gold-rich province of Ituri has been engulfed in bloodshed.
Thousands of people died in a prior fight between community militias between 1999 and 2003, until Operation Artemis, a European force under French command, intervened.
In February, 62 people were killed in an attack on a displaced persons camp by Codeco militants.
