An attack on the Ivo displaced people’s camp in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) on Sunday claimed the lives of 22 civilians, an aid worker said.
The same camp was attacked less than a week ago when 29 people were killed.
Red Cross coordinator Mambo Bapu Mance said that 20 people were buried immediately in two common graves, while another two who died of their wounds were buried later.
Photo: AFP
He said the armed group Cooperative for the Development of Congo (CODECO) carried out the attack.
The Kivu Security Tracker, a US-based monitor of violence in the region, cited the same death toll.
The army spokesman in the region, Lieutenant Jules Ngongo, said that CODECO rebels were repelled, but did not elaborate.
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell called for strong action against the perpetrators.
“The EU condemns the new appalling attacks committed by the militia against civilian populations, particularly the internally displaced persons,” he wrote on Twitter. “Decisiveness against the perpetrators and support & justice for the victims are necessary for a lasting peace in the region.”
The attack came on the same day that sources said Kinshasa would allow armed forces from neighboring Uganda to enter its territory to chase rebels blamed for massacres in the region.
The deadliest of scores of armed groups operating in the mineral-rich eastern DR Congo, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) has been blamed for dozens of attacks.
“President [Felix] Tshisekedi has already raised the option of allowing Ugandan troops to enter Congolese territory to chase ADF terrorists together with” UN troops, a presidential adviser said on condition of anonymity.
“But Ugandan troops will not cross the border tonight or tomorrow. All procedures must first be respected, especially with respect to parliament and the DR Congo military command,” he said.
Antipas Mbusa Nyamuisi, a local spokesman for the Nande ethnic group, said that the Uganda People’s Defence Force was given the “formal” green light to hunt down ADF fighters on Congolese soil.
A European diplomat confirmed the news, saying: “We have been informed via our regular channels that President Tshisekedi has authorized Ugandan troops to cross the border to fight the ADF.”
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