Rebel group violence claims lives of 69 or more in Democratic Republic of Congo

A devastating militia attack in the Democratic Republic of Congo's Ituri province has left at least 69 people dead, according to local and security sources who spoke to AFP on Saturday.

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The eastern DRC, rich in minerals, has been plagued by conflict for over 30 years, with various armed groups vying for control of its numerous mines.

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In Ituri, a province bordering Uganda and South Sudan, the Hema and Lendu ethnic groups have been embroiled in a longstanding and violent conflict.

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On April 28, armed men affiliated with the Codeco militia carried out attacks in several villages, resulting in the deaths of at least 69 people, local and security sources told AFP.

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These attacks were reportedly in response to an earlier assault by the Convention for the Popular Revolution, an armed group that claims to fight for the Hema community, on positions held by the Congolese army near the locality of Pimbo.

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Civil society leader Dieudonne Losa told AFP that more than 70 people were killed when Codeco fighters launched retaliatory attacks in late April.

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Two security sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the attacks, with one stating that the death toll was at least 69, including 19 militia members and soldiers.

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The presence of Codeco fighters in the area delayed the recovery of bodies for several days, according to the sources.

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As of Saturday, only 25 bodies had been buried, with several sets of remains still to be recovered, Losa said.

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A humanitarian source described the gruesome scene near the village of Bassa, one of the areas targeted, where bodies were "strewn on the ground".

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The United Nations' mission in the DRC reported that it had rescued "nearly 200 people caught under fire" from the CRP assault on the FARDC on April 30.

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On Saturday, the UN mission "strongly condemned the recent wave of deadly attacks targeting civilians" in the restive east.

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The Ente association, a non-profit representing the Hema community, denounced the killings as a "massacre" and urged its members to avoid retaliation.

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The DRC, famous for its mineral wealth, including cobalt, copper, uranium, and diamonds, has long been plagued by corruption and bloodshed.

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Since early 2025, Ituri has seen a resurgence of the CRP, a group founded by convicted Congolese warlord Thomas Lubanga, who was found guilty in 2012 by the International Criminal Court for recruiting children into his rebel army.

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Lubanga was released in 2020 after completing his prison sentence, and the region has since been marked by fighting between the CRP, the Congolese army, and the Codeco militia, resulting in widespread abuses and killings of civilians.

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The region also faces ongoing attacks by the Allied Democratic Forces, a group formed by former Ugandan rebels that has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State.

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The province is currently plagued by a humanitarian crisis, with nearly one million internally displaced people, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.