Intercommunity clashes leave at least 16 dead and 25 kidnapped in southwestern DRC

MADRID, 6 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) -

At least 16 people have died and another 25 are missing as a result of the intensification of clashes in recent days between two rival communities in the south-west of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The latest incident has been an assault against the population of Missia, in the province of Kwilu, where several armed men burst in with gunfire last Thursday. This town is located right next to the town of Kwamouth, in the neighboring province of Mai Ndombé, which has been the scene of a territorial dispute between the Teke and Yaka communities for years.

This conflict has left more than 180 dead, according to the Kinshasa government, and several tens of thousands displaced, according to the UN. In addition, local organizations have denounced the precarious state of health of more than 1,600 children displaced from Mai Ndombé to Kwilu.

The attack left 16 dead, 25 kidnapped and dozens of houses burned, according to the chief administrator of the Bagata territory, Joseph Mankoto, to Radio Okapi.

Mankoto has taken the opportunity to request the intervention of the Army, taking into account the proximity of a military deployment to the conflict zone.

"The troops are in the surroundings of Fatundu", 25 kilometers away from Missia, "while the population complains because the atrocities, the aggressions, the attacks are taking place inside", he laments.