At least 70 people, including 9 soldiers, killed in militia attack in western Congo

FILE PHOTO: President of the Democratic Republic of Congo Felix Tshisekedi speaks during a news conference with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, April 30, 2024. Christophe Ena/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — At least 70 people, including nine soldiers and a soldier’s wife, were killed when gunmen attacked a village in western Democratic Republic of Congo, local authorities said, as violence intensifies between two feuding communities.

The attack occurred on Saturday in the village of Kinsele, about 100 kilometers east of the capital Kinshasa. Due to insecurity and poor infrastructure in the region, it can take several days for fatal attacks to be reported.

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Kinsele is located in the Kwamouth area, where conflicts have been raging for two years between two local communities – the Teke and the Yaka – resulting in the deaths of hundreds of civilians.

While Congo is fighting against armed groups in the east, violence has also increased in the west of the country.

The attackers were members of the Mobondo militia, an armed group that claims to be defenders of the Yaka people.

“As of this morning (Monday, July 15), 72 bodies have already been found and the search for more bodies in the bush continues,” David Bisaka, the provincial MP for Kwamouth Territory, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.

Local security services are still searching for the bodies “after the army succeeded in routing this militia for the second time in a week,” Bisaka said. The Mobondo militia had first attempted to attack the same village on Friday.

After Saturday’s attack, the bodies of nine soldiers and a woman, the wife of a soldier, were found, among others, village chief Stanys Liby told the United Nations-funded broadcaster Radio Okapi.

The conflict over land and customary rights in Kwamouth Territory erupted in June 2022 between so-called “indigenous” and “non-indigenous” communities, according to advocacy group Human Rights Watch.

In June 2022, tensions over land rights and traditional taxes arose between the Teke, the region’s historical inhabitants, and farmers from several other ethnic groups, including the Yaka, who have more recently settled near the Congo River.

Despite a ceasefire agreed in April 2024 in the presence of Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi, clashes between the two communities have continued and have even worsened in recent weeks as the Congolese army has failed to contain the violence.

The army is also struggling to contain the violence in the east of the country, where fighting has been raging for decades between government troops and more than 120 armed groups demanding a share of the region’s gold and other raw materials.

Violence in the east of the country has intensified in recent months as security forces battle militias. Earlier this month, a militia attack on a gold mine in northeastern Congo killed six Chinese miners and two Congolese soldiers.

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FILE PHOTO: President of the Democratic Republic of Congo Felix Tshisekedi speaks during a news conference with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, April 30, 2024. Christophe Ena/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo