DRC: Deadly clashes in eastern regions July 7-8

Event

According to local officials, clashes between the Bafulero, Banyindu, and Banyamulenge communities took place in the Uvira and Fizi districts of the South Kivu province on Saturday, July 8. Several villages were reportedly destroyed, and ten people were killed.

Furthermore, according to a military source, a Congolese soldier was also killed and a civilian injured during clashes with the Uganda’s Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in the eastern region of Beni on Sunday, July 8.

Context

Numerous armed groups are active across the DRC, including ethnic self-defense militias. Violent clashes between these groups and government forces, as well as between rival groups, are common. The government's limited presence in the DRC's eastern provinces, as well as the presence of numerous armed actors (such as the ADF) and local self-defense militias (Maï-Maï militias) have driven continued insecurity in the area.

Violent clashes between the Bafulero, Babembe, Banyindu, and Banyamulenge communities have been taking place in South Kivu since April 30, resulting in deaths, injuries, and the torching of several villages. In the east of the country more generally, at least 2459 people have been killed in clashes between May 2016 and April 2018 - twice as many as in the preceding two years. According to the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) 76,000 people have been displaced in the eastern region in 2018 due to violence between the three communities.

Advice

A number of Western governments advise their citizens against travel to the east and northeast of the country due to poor security conditions, including the presence of armed groups and a high risk of kidnapping. Professional security advice should be sought prior to travel.