Two Chinese nationals killed in DR Congo gold mine attack
- Two others, a Congolese woman and a Ugandan national, were found dead, and 10 more Chinese workers remain unaccounted for
- The attack comes soon after unidentified armed men kidnapped five Chinese nationals at another site
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Four people, including two Chinese nationals, were killed in an attack by militiamen on an artisanal gold mine in northeast Democratic Republic of Congo, civil and military sources said on Thursday.
Army spokesman Jules Ngongo said men from the Cooperative for the Development of Congo (CODECO) group on Wednesday killed two Chinese nationals, a Congolese woman and a Ugandan national at a mine in Damblo in Ituri province.
Gold-rich Ituri has been plagued by violence since late 2017. CODECO claims to defend the interests of the Lendu, one of the province’s ethnic groups, and has split into rival factions.
Local civil society leader Lokana Pay said the bodies of two of the 12 Chinese nationals at the site had been found, and the other 10 remained unaccounted for.
The attack is the latest against Chinese in mining sites in the vast and resource-rich DRC after unidentified armed men kidnapped five Chinese working in the province of South Kivu on Sunday.
President Felix Tshisekedi declared a state of siege in Ituri and neighbouring North Kivu province in May to fight the armed groups.
The exceptional measure saw senior civilian officials replaced by the army and police officers.
But massacres and abductions continue, with at least 29 people killed in an attack in Ituri on Monday.
Five Chinese gold mine workers kidnapped in DR Congo after attack
The CODECO militia could not be reached for comment. The Chinese embassy in Kinshasa could also 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.
Additional reporting by Reuters
