Vast majority of over 100 victims who died in militia attacks were civilians, says a US-based monitoring group.

Vast and unstable, DRC has never had a peaceful transition of power since gaining independence from Belgium in 1960.
Vast and unstable, DRC has never had a peaceful transition of power since gaining independence from Belgium in 1960. (Reuters)

At least 107 bodies have been found in two villages in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo after attacks by the Cooperative for the Development of Congo (CODECO) militant group.

The bodies were found in the villages of Drodro and Largu and surrounding areas in Djugu territory and Ituri province following attacks by CODECO on Sunday and Monday, the Kivu Security Tracker, a watchdog that focuses on violence in eastern DRC, said on Twitter on Monday.

State of siege

According to local officials, the CODECO militia targeted a site hosting internally displaced persons in Drodro and part of the village’s parish, torching several shelters as military teams were slow to respond.

Lt Jules Ngongo, spokesperson for DRC forces in Ituri, told reporters that the “army managed to protect the facilities of the parish of Drodro despite several attempts to destroy it.”

Mathias Gilman, the spokesperson for the United Nations peacekeeping mission, said at least 16,000 people fleeing the attacks had taken shelter at a nearby site protected by peacekeepers.

Last week, Kivu Security Monitor said at least 1,137 civilians were killed in North Kivu and Ituri since President Felix Tshisekedi proclaimed a “state of siege” in the two restive provinces in May.

The data was shared as the DRC parliament extended the emergency measure, under which senior civilian officials were replaced by army officers, for the 12th time, despite reports that it has had little impact in curbing violence.

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Source: TRTWorld and agencies