More than 40 civilians were killed in an attack by members of the militia on an IDP camp in the province of Itouriin the eastern part of the People’s Republic of Congo early today, a local official and the head of a civil society organization said. These sources said the paramilitary organization CODECO, (n.a. Coopérative pour le développement du Congo, “Cooperative for the Development of the Congo”), one of several militias operating in the conflict-ridden eastern part of DR Congo , was responsible for the massacres at the “LALA” camp.

THE CODECO he claims to be defending the interests of the Ledu clan who have been fighting the Hema clan for a long time. Its fighters have killed hundreds of civilians in Ituri and forced thousands to flee their homes, according to the United Nations. THE Jean Richard Lenga, Bahema Banjere district chief, said militiamen killed 46 people with knives and guns and burned others inside their homes in the camp. “The whole village is mourning, it’s very sad,” he said, adding that authorities were still searching for bodies. Lenga stressed that the local population was scattered as many people fled to the nearby town of Boule, seeking safety.

About 70,000 displaced people have arrived in Boule between April 15 and May 15 due to armed violence in the surrounding areas, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in its latest report. Ituri province hosts about 1.7 million internally displaced people in total, according to OCHA. The head of the civil rights group, Charite Banza, said 46 people were killed in the attack, adding that the bodies of the victims would be buried in a mass grave. “We don’t have security here, we say that every day,” Banza said, noting that the attack came just days after a dialogue held by armed groups in the province. “No reason has yet been given for the bloody attack,” he added.

CODECO frequently launches attacks on IDP camps. Members of that militia killed about 60 people in another camp near Boule last year, in one of the group’s deadliest massacres. THE Maki Lobe, a resident of the North Bahama district, said he saw “more than 40 bodies” lying on the ground. He survived after fleeing during the night, he said.