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Civil society groups urge DR Congo gov't to act on massacres

Xinhua, May 17, 2016 Adjust font size:

Civil society actors in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) have written a letter to the country's President Joseph Kabila, urging him to act on the massacre of civilians in the region.

According to civil society actors, over 1,000 people have been killed by rebel groups in the three eastern regions of Beni, Butembo and North Kivu since October 2014.

"After a thorough analysis, we believe the situation is deteriorating: over 1,116 people killed in a space of one and a half years, more than 1,470 people kidnapped, over 1,000 houses burnt down and many more displaced due to fighting," they wrote in the letter.

Teddy Kataliko, the civil society boss in Beni, urged Kabila to "assume his role as the commander in chief of the country's armed forces."

The northern part of North Kivu province has witnessed numerous massacres of civilians since the start of the year, attributed to Ugandan rebel group, Allied Democratic Forces.

Security sources in North Kivu have told Xinhua on May 14, DR Congo security forces launched a new military operation dubbed "Usalama" against the Ugandan rebels in Beni territory. Enditem