China confirms deaths and missing citizens after attack in Democratic Republic of Congo

The Foreign Ministry in Beijing said a private Chinese company in the Democratic Republic of Congo had been “attacked by armed forces, resulting in the death and disappearance of several Chinese citizens,” without giving the exact number of victims.

“China strongly condemns this attack,” ministry spokesman Mao Ning said at a regular press conference.

“We demand that the Democratic Republic of Congo hunt down the killers as soon as possible and punish them severely in accordance with the law,” she added.

Attacks on mining sites and convoys are commonplace in the Democratic Republic of Congo, as are conflicts over gold between Congolese and Chinese miners.

Some local sources attributed Wednesday’s incident to a militia group called Codeco, which claims to defend the interests of the Lendu tribe against the rival Hema tribe.

“There was an incursion by Codeco into the Chinese mining area,” not far from the town of Abombi in Ituri’s Djugu territory, provincial deputy Jean-Pierre Bikilisende told AFP.

“We have a first preliminary count of four Chinese killed and two wounded members of the FARDC (Congolese army),” he added.

Other local sources put the death toll at six Chinese citizens and their bodyguards, two Congolese soldiers and two civilians.

mjw/je/smw