Fatshimetrie
A new tragedy has shaken the Mambasa region in Ituri, a province located in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Dozens of civilians were killed in a massacre perpetrated by armed men, plunging the population into fear and uncertainty. According to information provided by the NGO CRDH, a health facility was looted and burned, patients have disappeared, and the inhabitants of the villages of the Bakaeku group are living in terror.
Rams Malikidogo, the NGO CRDH’s field rapporteur, described a scene of unprecedented violence: “The Bakaeku group was the scene of this atrocious massacre. We deplore the loss of 20 innocent lives, kidnappings and the ransacking of a health facility. The attackers, whose identity remains uncertain, sowed terror in the already unstable region, where the Mai-Mai militia and the presumed ADF operate.”
Faced with this tragedy, the population of the affected areas fled en masse, seeking refuge far from the violence. The armed Mai-Mai group is being blamed for this atrocity, being associated with the auxiliaries of the terrorist group ADF, according to credible sources. The local authorities, in shock, are struggling to express themselves on this new act of barbarity.
Mambasa, in addition to the challenges posed by growing insecurity, must face the activism of armed groups that threaten the peace of the inhabitants. Agricultural activities are compromised, travel is risky, and the population suffers the consequences of this recurring violence.
It is urgent that concrete measures be taken to guarantee the safety of civilians and put an end to these atrocities. The time has come for solidarity, the mobilization of the authorities and international action to protect vulnerable populations and restore peace in this region scarred by violence.