Militiamen killed 11 civilians, including eight children and three women, during a dawn assault on a displacement camp in northeastern Congo.
The attack struck Djangi village in Ituri province’s volatile Djugu territory on Friday, according to the United Nations and local officials.
Jean-Tobie Okala, spokesperson for the U.N. peacekeeping mission MONUSCO, said rebel fighters from the CODECO group launched the assault early morning.
U.N. forces later intervened and repelled the attackers, but not before lives were lost and dozens terrorised in the chaos.
Charité Banza, head of civil society in Djugu, confirmed the death toll and said 12 others were injured during the raid.
“We demand justice for the victims, restoration of their rights, and full accountability for those behind this massacre,” Banza stated.
CODECO, a militia coalition drawn mainly from the Lendu farming community, has been implicated in widespread violence in the region.
The group’s attacks killed nearly 1,800 people and wounded over 500 between 2019 and 2022, according to African security researchers.
The United Nations has warned that some of these acts may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity under international law.
Eastern Congo remains a battleground for more than 120 armed groups fighting over territory, mineral wealth, and local power.
In February, CODECO fighters killed at least 55 civilians in the same Djugu territory, underscoring the persistent threat to the population.
Despite peacekeeping efforts, communities in Ituri face an unrelenting cycle of violence, displacement, and impunity.