Several Chinese citizens were killed or went missing in an armed attack on a mining site in the Democratic Republic of Congo's Ituri province. The Chinese foreign ministry condemned the attack and urged swift action by the DRC to apprehend the perpetrators. The incident was reportedly carried out by the militia group Codeco amid ongoing conflicts over resources in the region.

China confirmed on Thursday that an armed attack in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) resulted in the deaths or disappearances of several of its citizens.

According to local sources reported by AFP on Wednesday, a militia attack on a mining site in the gold-rich Ituri province claimed the lives of at least four Chinese nationals.

The foreign ministry in Beijing stated that a private Chinese company in the DRC "was attacked by armed forces, resulting in the death and disappearance of several Chinese nationals," though the exact number was not specified.

Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning, speaking at a regular press conference, said, "China expresses its strong condemnation of this attack." She added, "We demand that the DRC side hunts down the killers as quickly as possible and strictly punishes them in accordance with the law."

Attacks on mining sites and convoys are frequent in the DRC, often stemming from conflicts over gold between Congolese residents and Chinese miners.

Local sources indicated that Wednesday's incident was attributed to a militia group known as Codeco, which claims to defend the interests of the Lendu tribe against the rival Hema tribe.

Jean-Pierre Bikilisende, a provincial deputy, confirmed, "There has been an incursion by Codeco into the Chinese mining site," near the town of Abombi in Djugu territory of Ituri. He stated, "We have a first provisional toll of four Chinese killed and two FARDC (Congolese army) members wounded."

Other local sources reported that six Chinese nationals, along with their bodyguards, were among those killed, along with two Congolese soldiers and