DistantNews
At Least 70 Civilians Murdered in Clashes Between Rebel Groups in the DRC
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Conflict & Security

At Least 70 Civilians Murdered in Clashes Between Rebel Groups in the DRC

From ABC Color · (10h ago) Spanish Critical tone

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • At least 70 civilians were killed in late April during clashes between two rebel groups and subsequent retaliatory attacks in the Ituri province of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
  • The violence occurred after the CPR rebel group attacked Congolese army positions and then clashed with the Codeco group, which retaliated against civilians.
  • The CPR, formed in March 2025, aims to challenge political actors from western DRC, while Codeco, formed in 2018, reportedly represents the Lendu community and combats army abuses.

Kinshasa, DRC – The eastern Democratic Republic of Congo continues to be a theater of horrific violence, with at least 70 civilians brutally murdered in late April due to clashes between warring rebel factions and subsequent retaliatory attacks in the Ituri province. Jean Bosco Lalo, president of the local civil society in Ituri, confirmed the grim toll, describing the events as a "horrible drama" that also saw homes and shops set ablaze. This latest tragedy highlights the persistent instability and the devastating impact on civilian populations in the region.

Fue un drama horrible. Contamos 70 civiles asesinados durante estos ataques, y casas y tiendas incendiadas

— Jean Bosco LaloPresident of the civil society of Ituri, describing the aftermath of the attacks.

The violence erupted following an attack by the rebel group Convention for the People's Revolution (CPR) on positions held by the Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC). After being repelled by the army, CPR fighters engaged in further clashes with members of the Cooperative for the Development of Congo (Codeco). In a shocking turn of events, Codeco forces then launched retaliatory attacks against the civilian population, leading to the high death toll. Colonel Ruffin Mapela, the administrator of Djugu territory where the events unfolded, confirmed the sequence of events, noting the panic sown among residents.

Nuestras fuerzas repelieron con contundencia un ataque de milicianos de la CPR. Se produjeron explosiones que sembraron el pánico entre la población. Pero durante su retirada los milicianos de la CPR atacaron posiciones de Codeco

— Ruffin MapelaAdministrator of Djugu, explaining the sequence of clashes between rebel groups.

This conflict is fueled by a complex web of ethnic and political grievances. The CPR, founded by former child soldier convict Thomas Lubanga, claims to seek the "reclaiming of Ituri's destiny" from perceived corruption and mismanagement by western political actors. It purports to represent the Hema community. Codeco, formed in 2018, reportedly aligns with the Lendu community and initially aimed to counter abuses by the Congolese army. Despite previous ceasefire agreements, violence persists, with groups like Codeco and the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) continuing to terrorize the population, underscoring the immense challenges faced by the UN peacekeeping mission (MONUSCO) and the Congolese government in restoring peace and security to the eastern DRC.

Muchos civiles murieron durante los enfrentamientos entre los milicianos de la CPR y de Codeco, y los segundos también mataron a otros civiles en represalia. No tenemos el número exacto, pero hubo muchos fallecidos

— Ruffin MapelaAdministrator of Djugu, confirming civilian deaths and retaliatory attacks.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog