CODECO fighters kill at least 69 in DR Congo village attacks
Updated
Updated · Al Jazeera English · May 10
CODECO fighters kill at least 69 in DR Congo village attacks
7 articles · Updated · Al Jazeera English · May 10
The late-April attacks hit several villages in Ituri province after a CRP assault near Pimbo; officials said 19 of the dead were militia members and soldiers.
Body recovery was delayed for days by the fighters' presence, with only 25 buried so far, while MONUSCO condemned the killings and had earlier rescued nearly 200 people during related fighting.
The massacre underscores worsening ethnic violence between Lendu-linked CODECO and Hema-linked CRP in mineral-rich Ituri, where overstretched Congolese forces also face ADF and M23 threats.
With a US mineral deal signed, why are massacres in Congo's mining regions escalating?
Can a new US-backed mining guard succeed where UN peacekeepers have struggled for decades?
Over 69 Killed in April 2026 Ituri Attacks: Ethnic Violence, Resource Wars, and Humanitarian Crisis in Eastern DRC
Overview
In late April 2026, violence in Ituri province escalated sharply when a militia attack killed at least 69 people, highlighting the ongoing instability in the region. This attack was part of a persistent pattern of intense fighting involving groups like CODECO, the Convention for the Popular Revolution (CRP), and the Congolese Army. Their clashes are marked by widespread abuses and killings of civilians, causing significant harm and displacement in local communities. The resurgence of the CRP, originally founded by warlord Thomas Lubanga, has further fueled the cycle of violence, making peace and security even harder to achieve in Ituri.