More than 40 people are reported dead in ethnic clashes in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ituri province.
The clashes were between Hema herders and Lendu farmers and is the second such incident in a month, according to local officials.
Last month 30 people died in similar clashes between the two groups who have been at logger heads for some time now.
The war between the two groups since 1998 to 2003 has led to the death of thousands of people with clashes flaring up again in recent months due to disputes over land.
Reuters quoted Alfred Ndrabu, a member of the Catholic church’s Justice and Peace Commission in Ituri, saying that a colleague in the village of Maze had counted 49 bodies from the clashes.
“The Lendu and their allies attacked the village of Maze,” Ndrabu told Reuters.“They were pushed back by security forces … They returned with reinforcements … which was when they perpetrated the carnage.”
Ethnic conflict in DRC has been compounded by the current political crisis where President Joseph Kabila has refused to step down.
Joseph Kabila took over as president from his father Laurent who was assassinated in 2001.
Source: Africafeeds.com
