Clashes between PARECO\FAP militias and APCLS in the Masisi region of North Kivu continue to wreak havoc. Civil society in the region has made an urgent appeal to the governor of North Kivu to quickly deploy armed forces to restore security in the area. These clashes, which have lasted for five days already, have caused numerous losses in human life as well as significant material damage, including the looting of property.
The president of Masisi’s civil society, Telesphore Mitondeke, expresses his concern at the ethnic turn taken by these armed clashes. He fears that this will weaken the cohabitation between the different communities in the region. He points out that the situation has deteriorated following the clashes between the PARECO\FAP militias and the APCLS in the localities of Kikoma, Bulinda, Buiti and Bwangali.
Civilians are the first victims of this situation of insecurity. Exactions, such as murders, assassinations and systematic looting, are committed against them. Some have been forced to leave the region and take refuge elsewhere to escape this violence.
According to Telesphore Mitondeke, three civilians, including a woman, were brutally killed during the fighting between the militias. Houses were also burned in Bueti and Bulinda, according to sources close to civil society in Masisi.
This situation cannot continue. The competent authorities must act quickly to put an end to these clashes and restore security in the region. Civil society in Masisi calls on the governor of North Kivu to take concrete measures to protect the population and put an end to this violence which only causes more suffering and destruction.
It is essential that peaceful cohabitation between the communities be preserved and that the population can live in safety in this region. It is time for concrete actions to be taken to put an end to these armed clashes and to allow the people of Masisi to rebuild their lives and their communities in peace and stability. Civil society in Masisi will continue to mobilize and make its voice heard so that the situation improves and security is restored in the region