Sources reported on Thursday that militia fighters have killed at least 15 people in northeastern DRC.

According to local sources as reported by AFP on Thursday, militia fighters have killed at least 15 civilians in multiple villages within the gold-rich and volatile Ituri province of northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo). The perpetrators, allegedly affiliated with the Cooperative for the Development of the Congo (CODECO), carried out the savage attack.

Innocent Matukadala, chief of the Banyali-Kalo administrative sector, stated that the targeted villages suffered the worst of the violence, with some victims gruesomely beheaded. Matukadala disclosed that the victims were abducted between April 15 and 16, and their bodies were only discovered on Thursday.

The majority of those killed were artisanal gold miners, exacerbating the devastation caused by the assault.

Jean Robert Basiloko, representing the civil society of the affected sector, provided further details, indicating that two groups of CODECO fighters were responsible for the bloodshed, resulting in the loss of 20 lives, which included a village chief, three women, and a child.

The ruthless assault underscores the ongoing strife fueled by ethnic tensions and the struggle for resources in the region. CODECO, purportedly advocating for the interests of the Lendu group against their rivals, the Hema, has been implicated in numerous attacks on villagers throughout the year.

The group’s resurgence in violence has reignited fears of instability and insecurity in Ituri, an area scarred by previous cycles of conflict.

The history of ethnic-based militia clashes in Ituri province dates back to the late 1990s and early 2000s, resulting in thousands of casualties before European forces intervened. Despite attempts to mitigate violence, sporadic conflicts have endured, leading to widespread displacement.