The United Nations has reported that at least 150 civilians have been killed in Ituri province in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), since the beginning of April. The violence is attributed to several armed groups, including the CODECO and Zaire militias and the Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP).
The most recent attack claimed the lives of over 60 civilians and over 150 houses razed to the ground in several villages in the Banyali Kilo sector in Djugu territory in Ituri. These attacks have also targeted basic infrastructure, such as the Rimba health center.
The UN and its partners are working to provide assistance and protection to those affected, but aid distribution may be delayed due to recent attacks. Ituri, like the neighboring North Kivu province, has been under a state of siege for nearly two years, but this has not effectively curbed the violence.
The UN has called for strengthened measures to protect civilians and noted that aid distribution may be delayed in areas affected by recent attacks. This also comes as the East African Regional Force is now in full deployment in the neighboring province of North Kivu.
