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Tales of terror from Congo’s Ituri province

Samuel Okiror

Tens of thousands of people have fled clashes in Democratic Republic of Congo’s northeast Ituri Province over recent weeks, travelling by boat to reach Uganda.

Dozens are reported to have been killed in the violence, in which members of the Lendu community have reportedly targeted Hema and Bagagere citizens. More than 48,000 refugees have arrived since January, and more than 100,000 people remain displaced in the DRC.

It is unclear what triggered this latest unrest in a region that has been relatively calm since 2007. This blog from the Congo Research Group offers some possible causes. Between 1999 and 2003, Ituri was the theatre of a fierce conflict involving Lendu and Hema militias.

What is certain, based on the testimony of refugees gathered by IRIN in Kagoma, the Ugandan town where new arrivals are registered, is that the violence is spreading terror across several parts of Ituri.

Read the full story on IRIN.