17 killed in DR Congo attacks

BUNIA: Seventeen 17 people have died in three attacks in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo hit by chronic unrest, the army and local observers said Friday.

Two of the attacks in Ituri province were attributed to the Codeco militia that has also been accused of a civilian massacre in June. An army spokesman, lieutenant Jules Ngongo, told AFP that the three latest deaths occurred “during an attack by militia fighters very early on Friday.”

Local radio director Daniel Tibasima said he had seen the bodies of “a pastor, an intelligence agent and a woman,” and added that a well-known local shopkeeper had also been kidnapped.

Meanwhile, another attack on Wednesday night on the shore of Lake Albert left “nine dead, including four woman, a young girl and four men,” Tibasima added. A diplomatic source confirmed the toll, and an army spokesman acknowledged clashes with the attackers, adding that the situation was “under control.”

Authorities and communities have been reluctant to talk about a revival of a communal conflict between Lendu farmers and Hema breeders that killed tens of thousands of people between 1999 and 2003 in Ituri.