The death toll from a harrowing attack in a village situated in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ituri province climbed to 25 on Sunday, as reported by a local chief and civil society leader.
This distressing escalation follows confirmation of the attack on Saturday by both a government spokesperson and a document issued by the United Nations.
According to the accounts provided, the Cooperative for the Development of the Congo (CODECO) group, one among several militias entrenched in the conflict-stricken eastern territories, perpetrated the atrocities in the village of Galayi.
Located approximately 70 kilometers (45 miles) northwest of the city of Bunia, the village now bears witness to the devastating consequences of unchecked violence plaguing the region.
Banzala Danny, a local chief, and Vital Tungulo, a civil society leader, informed Reuters that fifteen bodies were found on Sunday, in addition to the ten bodies discovered on Saturday.
This revelation was corroborated by an internal U.N. document viewed by Reuters, as well as by Jules Ngongo, spokesperson for the governor of Ituri province, who confirmed both the attack and the initial death toll of ten civilians. Ngongo also stated, “We assure that all the killers will be punished by justice.”
According to a report published by the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office (UNJHRO) in March, the human rights situation in Ituri has significantly deteriorated since the start of the year, largely due to an increase in attacks perpetrated by CODECO.
Another militia group, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), is also cited as responsible for a majority of civilian killings in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), as indicated in a separate report released by the U.N. peacekeeping mission in March.
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