Eight killed in attack attributed to Maï-Maï militia on army camp in Mitwaba

An armed assault by Maï-Maï militiamen on a Congolese army camp in Kyubo Mamba, Mitwaba territory, Haut-Katanga province, claimed at least eight lives on Sunday, August 1. Local sources reported that in addition to the fatalities, about ten people were injured, including a pregnant woman. The victims included two soldiers and six civilians, among them a soldier's wife and five children. Several victims perished in a fire that broke out during the attack.

The assailants reportedly launched their offensive between 5 a.m. and 8 a.m. After opening fire on the military camp, they allegedly set several homes ablaze in the locality. Military reinforcements were dispatched from Mitwaba-centre, approximately 100 kilometers away, to secure the area and pursue the attackers, who are believed to have retreated.

Provincial authorities had not yet commented on the events at the time of reporting. This latest attack follows a similar armed incursion in March at the Lusinga station, near the Upemba National Park, also in Mitwaba territory. That incident, carried out by unidentified armed men, resulted in multiple casualties, significant material damage, and the looting of the park's arms and ammunition depot. The recurrence of such security incidents heightens the local population's anxieties regarding the ongoing insecurity in this part of Haut-Katanga.