Twenty people were killed by the militia group CODECO and a dozen were killed by the Allied Democratic Forces, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a press conference on Monday.
Calling the situation “confusing,” Dujarric said it is hard for the UN peacekeeping mission in Congo to get more information due to restricted movement in the area, ABC NEws reported.
Fighting between CODECO, a loose association of various ethnic Lendu militia groups, and Zaire, a mainly ethnic Hema self-defense group, has been ongoing since 2017 but has worsened recently. At least 32 civilians were killed by CODECO last month, say local officials. In December, the United Nations said the insurgent group was expanding its areas of control, attacking civilians and Congo's military, and taxing communities in the areas that it holds.
The killings come amid surging violence across eastern Congo, where conflict has been simmering for decades as more than 120 armed groups are fighting in the region, most for land and control of mines with valuable minerals, while some groups are trying to protect their communities.
MNA/PR
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