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page 49 b DRC UN: 21 killed in ‘alarming’ violence in Eastern DRC At least 21 people were killed, 40 wounded and dozens of houses burned in weekend attacks aimed at Hutus in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, which has been the scene of heightened ethnic tensions in recent weeks. The United Nations said it […]

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DRC

UN: 21 killed in ‘alarming’ violence in Eastern DRC

At least 21 people were killed, 40 wounded and dozens of houses burned in weekend attacks aimed at Hutus in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, which has been the scene of heightened ethnic tensions in recent weeks.

The United Nations said it was “alarmed by reports of escalating inter-communal violence” in the area.

U.N. spokesman Amouzoun Codjo Martin said the weekend attacks were carried out by members of two militias, the Nande-dominated UPDI and the NDC, which is mostly made up of Nyanga, another local ethnic group.

“We have also received reports of massive displacement of civilians, looting, abductions and of at least three rapes during the past few days,” the U.N. statement said.

Ethnic rivalries, foreign invasions and competition for mineral-rich land have stoked persistent conflict among eastern Congo’s dozens of rebel groups over the last two decades, costing millions of lives.