Scores killed in DRC communal clashes
From JEAN KASSONGO in Kinshasa, DRC
KINSHASA, (CAJ News) – RENEWED clashes between rival communities in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have left at least 12 people dead hundreds of thousands displaced.
The inter-communal skirmishes are pitting the Luba and Twa populations in the province of Tanganyika.
Dozens have been wounds and 65 homes burned.
It is believed the conflict is driven by inequalities between Luba villagers and Twa, a hunting and gathering people historically excluded from access to land and basic services.
Hundreds have killed in previous massacres.
After the relative calm that was retained in 2015, made possible by the active involvement of the local authorities and the stabilization and peace actors, the security situation has degenerated again.
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, of the nearly 332 000 internally displaced persons registered by the Movement of Population Commission, about half have moved in the last three months.
The total number of displaced persons could be even higher, taking into account the several hundred households that have sought refuge in inaccessible areas, according to information that remains to be verified.
“All territories in the province are characterized by a deplorable and deteriorating humanitarian situation,” said a UN spokesperson.
– CAJ NEWS
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