At least 46 people, half of them children, were killed early Monday in a militia attack on a camp for displaced people in the northeastern province of Ituri - the latest in a series of attacks by non-state armed groups on forcibly displaced people in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo, DRC). United Nations agencies have condemned the attack and expressed shock and horror at its brutality.
The horrific assault on the Lala displacement camp left at least 46 people dead, including 23 children, according to initial reports. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said at least seven people were injured, including three children.
“The targeting of these already vulnerable civilians is beyond contemptible,” said UNICEF DRC Representative Grant Leaity.
“The trauma that these children are living through is unimaginable. It is unacceptable that these families – who have already fled their homes – are once again the direct target of violence.”
In the attack, which took place on 12 June, armed assailants targeted civilians, leaving a trail of destruction and devastation. According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the armed group carried out its assault using guns and machetes, resulting in the tragic deaths of dozens of people, including children and women. At least 12 people were burned alive as their shelters were set ablaze.
“UNHCR deplores in the strongest terms these heinous attacks against vulnerable civilian populations,” said Valentin Tapsoba, Director of UNHCR’s Regional Bureau for Southern Africa.
"This cycle of violence must end. We are calling for collective efforts to pacify the conflict in the Ituri province so that the Congolese people can return to their homes and their livelihoods and live in peace."
In addition to causing deaths and injury, the militants set fire to more than 800 shelters and stole livestock. UNICEF estimates that 5,000 children are affected by the attack, having lost parents, siblings, their homes and possessions.
The Lala site for displaced people is about 75 kilometers from Bunia, in the Ituri Province, in the eastern part of the country.
The UN Peacekeeping Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) said that, according to its information, members of the CODECO (Cooperative for Development of the Congo) militia were responsible for this targeted attack against vulnerable displaced people.
Meanwhile, peacekeepers have stepped up security in the area, in collaboration with the provincial authorities. In a statement, MONUSCO said that it will spare no effort to put an end to these attacks and to combat impunity, within the framework of its mandate. The Peacekeeping Mission also reaffirmed its commitment to work alongside the Congolese defense and security forces to increase joint patrols to protect civilians and displaced people in the area.
The conflict in Ituri has persisted since 2017, but the situation has deteriorated considerably since the start of 2023 with armed groups targeting civilians, schools and hospitals. In the past six months, militants have killed some 600 civilians and injured over 200. The lack of safety and protection of children is becoming an increasingly pressing concern, and Ituri now ranks second out of DRC’s 26 provinces for the highest number of UN-verified grave violations against children.
“We urge the government to bring the assailants to account and to step up the protection of children and their families,” said Leaity.
Eastern DR Congo is home to multiple armed groups, including the CODECO armed group, the rebel M23 force, Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels, and Zaire militants.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is facing one of the worst humanitarian disasters in the world, and the situation in the country is one of the most neglected displacement crises globally. For decades, the country has endured multiple, overlapping emergencies driven mainly by conflict and forced displacement. The UN estimates that 26.4 million require humanitarian assistance in the country this year.
The DRC already suffers the largest internal displacement crisis in Africa due to the ongoing violence. 7.5 million people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have been forced to flee their homes. Among them are 6.2 internally displaced person (IDPs) and 1.3 million refugees, that have sought safety in neighboring countries.
While the DR Congo continues to experience violence perpetrated by more than 130 armed groups active in the eastern regions, the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) has operated in the regions since 1999 and is the largest UN peacekeeping mission in the world.
The mission has been authorized to use all necessary means to carry out its mandate to protect civilians, humanitarian personnel and human rights defenders under imminent threat of physical violence and to support the Government of the DRC in its stabilization and peace consolidation efforts.
Further information
Full text: UNICEF condemns attack on camp for displaced people in eastern DRC that kills 23 children, UNICEF press release, June 12, 2023
https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/unicef-condemns-attack-camp-displaced-people-eastern-drc-kills-23-children-0
Full text: UNHCR deplores brutal attacks on displaced people in DR Congo, UNHCR press release, June 12, 2023
https://www.unhcr.org/news/unhcr-deplores-brutal-attacks-displaced-people-dr-congo