More than 20 civilians were reported killed in separate attacks in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where fighting also continued over the weekend between the government and M23 rebels, local sources told AFP on Sunday.
In Ituri province, CODECO militants – a group claiming to protect the Lendu community from another ethnic group, the Hema – were accused of targeting five villages in Mahagi early on Saturday.
“We have now counted 15 dead, mainly women, children and the elderly,” said Arnold Lokwa, the village chief.
At least nine people have been reported killed in Nguli in neighboring North Kivu by rebels in the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), which is linked to the Islamic State jihadist group, village chief Kambale Kamboso said.
Two children also went missing after the attack, carried out with “machetes and knives,” he told AFP.
The ADF, originally an insurgency in Uganda, gained a foothold in eastern DR Congo in the 1990s and has since been accused of killing thousands of civilians.
Further south in North Kivu, fighting also broke out on Saturday between government forces and M23 after several days of calm as regional military forces were deployed in the volatile region.
Tutsi-led rebel groups have seized the area and advanced close to the regional hub of Goma, prompting the seven-nation East African Community (EAC) to authorize the deployment last November.
In a statement, the Congolese army said M23 fighters attacked at least six of its positions, citing a “violation of the ceasefire” which was due to take effect on March 7.
Kinshasa and some Western governments say M23 rebels backed by Rwanda are eyeing natural resources across the border, a claim denied by Kigali.