Dozens Killed in Clashes in Eastern Congo

Days of fighting between armed groups in villages in the Congolese province of South Kivu have left at least 43 people dead, including women and children, residents said on Saturday.

Days of fighting between armed groups in villages in the Congolese province of South Kivu have left at least 43 people dead, including women and children, residents said on Saturday.

Another 40 people were missing after the armed militia known as Ngumino attacked the village of Kipupu on Thursday when it was being chased by the Mai Mai rebel group, according to the coordinator of civil society organizations in South Kivu, Andre Byadunia.

“The clashes between these armed groups started on Thursday,” Byadunia said. Militiamen torched village houses in their wake.

Local army spokesman Captain Dieudonné Kasereka confirmed that the attacks in several villages began on Thursday and lasted through Friday. The army is taking steps to protect civilians, he added.

Many armed groups in the eastern provinces of Congo vie for power in the mineral-rich region.