UN Sees Possible War Crimes by Congo Militia With 296 Dead

(Bloomberg) -- At least 296 people have been killed in northeast Democratic Republic of Congo since October, many in acts of violence that may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity, the United Nations said Wednesday in a new report.

Attacks against civilians mainly by militia from the Lendu community have increased since March, particularly around artisanal gold mines in Ituri province, the UN said. Several hundred thousand people have fled the recent violence, bringing the total number of displaced in Ituri to more than 1.2 million.

“The persistence of this violence risks pushing members of the communities targeted by the attacks and who have so far shown restraint, to form self-defense militias,” according to the report, which was written by a joint office from the UN peacekeeping mission in Congo and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. This “could increase the likelihood of widespread inter-community violence in the region.”

In recent months, a Lendu armed group known as the Cooperative for the Economic Development of Congo, or Codeco, has splintered and increased attacks in the territories of Djugu and Mahagi, it said. The main victims of the violence have been members of the Hema and Alur communities, but Codeco offshoots have started targeting other communities as well.

Land Disputes

Hema and Lendu armed groups fought protracted battles from 1999 to 2003 along the country’s border with Uganda at the height of Congo’s war years. Conflict resumed between the communities in December 2017 over land and administrative disputes and unresolved issues from the 1999-2003 conflict, the independent UN Group of Experts on Congo said in a December report.

Northeastern Congo is one of the richest sources of gold in Africa. Gold from the region is mostly dug by hand and exported or smuggled through neighboring countries, including Uganda, Burundi and Rwanda and then often on to Dubai, according to the UN Group of Experts.

Congo’s presidency declined to immediately comment on the report. The governor of Ituri, Jean Bamanisa Saidi, didn’t immediately respond to messages requesting comment.

More than 151 people have been injured and at least 38 -- including children -- were raped in the recent fighting, the UN report said.

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