Dozens killed in Ituri violence

[dArKeR]

By David Lewis

Kinshasa - Fifty Congolese militia fighters are reported to have been killed in fighting between two factions in the north-eastern district of Ituri during the last few weeks, a United Nations spokesperson said on Wednesday.

The violence comes just two months after all seven of Ituri's armed factions agreed to lay down their weapons and join the country's peace process, highlighting the challenges the UN faces in pacifying the mineral-rich and lawless east.

Fighting between ethnic Hema and Lendu militias in Ituri has killed an estimated 50 000 people since 1999.

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