Voice of America
26 Nov 2021, 02:05 GMT+10
BENI, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO - Two Chinese nationals have been killed and an unknown number of other people have been kidnapped in an attack by the CODECO militia on a mining camp in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, an army spokesman said Thursday.
A local chief and a civil society leader also confirmed the two deaths and said eight other Chinese people were missing after Wednesday's attack. They also blamed CODECO, one of an array of armed groups active in the area.
The attack took place in Djugu, in Ituri province, where Chinese nationals have informal gold mining operations. 'We confirm that CODECO elements attacked one of our positions in Djugu territory. They also attacked a base of our Chinese brothers, unfortunately killing two of them and kidnapping others,' said Lieutenant Jules Ngongo, spokesman for the army in Ituri.
The CODECO militia could not be reached for comment. The Chinese embassy in Kinshasa also could not be reached. The United Nations says repeated attacks by CODECO have killed hundreds of civilians in Djugu territory since 2017 and forced thousands to flee their homes.
About 20 people were killed in an attack on displaced civilians in Djugu territory Sunday night, which the government also blamed on CODECO.
CODECO's fighters are drawn mainly from the Lendu farming community, which has long been in conflict with Hema herders. Wednesday's attack was the second on a Chinese mining operation in a week in Congo's restive east. Authorities said Sunday gunmen had killed a policeman and kidnapped five Chinese nationals near a mine in South Kivu province.
Get a daily dose of Kenya Star news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Kenya Star.
More InformationJohannesburg [South Africa], June 26 (ANI): South African pacer Anrich Nortje will be out of action indefinitely due to a 'stress reaction',...
Harare [Zimbabwe], June 26 (ANI): Zimbabwe will host Sri Lanka for a white-ball series, consisting of two ODIs and three T20Is, with...
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 26 (ANI): Indian T20 World Cup winning skipper Rohit Sharma spoke on team's clash with arch-rivals...
The late Edgar Lungu had reportedly ordered that his successor should not attend his funeral ...
Lukoil will drill six exploratory wells in the North African state under a new exploration agreement ...
Johannesburg [South Africa], June 26 (ANI): Rassie van der Dussen, a veteran of 50 T20 Internationals, has been named captain of South...
New Delhi [India], June 26 (ANI): The Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday said India refused to sign the joint declaration at...
ABU DHABI, 26th June 2025 (WAM) -- The National Human Rights Institution (NHRI) has received a delegation from the Office of the United...
Balochistan [Pakistan], June 26 (ANI): The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) has charged that Pakistani authorities are unlawfully prolonging...
Millions have voted almost unanimously against the move, in a consultative online referendum An overwhelming majority of Hungarians...
(250626) -- VIENNA, June 26, 2025 (Xinhua) -- Aarti Holla-Maini, director of the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs, speaks at the opening...
New Delhi [India], June 26 (ANI): The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has taken note of the new guidelines issued by the US Embassy,...