Africa-News reports that About 1,300 civilians have been killed in separate conflicts involving armed groups and government forces in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for over eight months now, with the violence forcing more than half a million people from their homes, the United Nations reports.
United Nations rights chief Michelle Bachelet warned on Friday some of the killings and displacement may result to crimes against humanity and war crimes.
The number of victims has soared in recent weeks as conflicts have spread through three eastern provinces – Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu.
According to the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office in the DRC (UNJHRO), between October 1, 2019 and May 31, 2020, at least 531 civilians have been killed by armed groups in Ituri, 375 of them since March.
Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC) and police (PNC) also allegedly killed 17 civilians as well I’m this period.
In Ituri alone, violence spread into new areas after the main armed group, CODECO, splintered following the killing of its leader, Ngudjolo Duduko Justin, on March 25.
A United Nations human rights published in January and updated last week stated that since 2017, CODECO and other Lendu fighters have pursued a strategy of slaughtering local residents which is mainly the Hema, but also the Alur – in order to control the natural resources in the region.
Other groups, including the Ndo Okebo, Nyali and the Mambisa, have been involved in the violence more recently too. Africa-News reports.