At least 14 people were killed Thursday when suspected CODECO fighters ambushed civilians from the Rhoo displacement site in Djugu territory, Ituri province, local media and UN Radio reported.
Witnesses said the attack unfolded in the morning as residents left the camp to tend their fields in nearby villages. The assailants opened fire and, in some cases, used knives, according to accounts cited by UN Radio. The death toll remains provisional due to poor access to the area.
Authorities had not issued an official statement by Friday. Panic spread through the Rhoo site, which shelters thousands, and local civil society groups urged the army to secure surrounding routes and farmlands.
Eastern Congo’s conflict has displaced about 7 million people nationwide, the UN says, with civilians regularly targeted by a patchwork of armed groups. In July alone, the UN documented deadly attacks linked to ADF, CODECO and Raia Mutomboki/Wazalendo across Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu.