Tensions rise as DRC militias kill 25 civilians
MILITIAMEN from the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Nande ethnic group killed 25 civilians in the country’s violenceeast, almost all of them hacked to death with machetes at the weekend.
“In total 25 people were killed, decapitated by machete by the Mai-Mai Mazembe in and around the village of Kyaghala,” local representative of the governor of North Kivu province, Francis Bakundakabo said.
“All of these people were Hutu civilians,” he said, adding that the killings took place between 4am and 8am on Saturday morning.
Local civil society activist, Hope Kubuya, whose group went to verify the attack, said 24 of the victims had been killed with machetes and one woman shot dead.
“This raid by the Mai-Mai Mazembe in the Hutu village will enflame the inter-ethnic conflict in the region,” he added. The Mai-Mai are a “selfdefence” militia who count members of DR Congo’s Nande, Hunde and Kobo communities among their ranks, in opposition to rivals from the Nyaturu group representing ethnic Hutus.
The area around Kyaghala is majority-Hutu.
The last major attack to strike the volatile region came in December, when at least 35 civilians were killed in clashes between fighters from the two groups. DR Congo’s Nande, Hunde and Kobo people largely regard Hutus as foreigners, while the migration north of Hutu farmers – forced to abandon their southern territory due to rising land prices and under pressure from powerful landowners – has added to the strain.
Tensions between the Nande and Hutu communities have been growing worse for more than a year, with a series of village attacks by militia groups on both sides centre of North Kivu.
Since December, the DRC’s political crisis has also worsened, with President Joseph Kabila refusing to step down despite his mandate coming to an end.
The international community has urged government and opposition parties in the country to restart deadlocked talks to set up a transition regime ahead of elections due later this year. — AFP in the