Militia Attack Kills At Least 69 in DR Congo's Ituri Province

At least 69 people were killed in a series of militia attacks in the Ituri province of the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to local and security sources. The violence occurred on April 28, 2026, when armed men affiliated with the Codeco militia, which claims to protect the Lendu ethnic group, targeted several villages. This assault was reportedly retaliatory following an earlier attack by the Convention for the Popular Revolution (CRP), a group aligned with the Hema community, against Congolese Army positions near Pimbo. The death toll includes civilians as well as militia members and soldiers. Recovery efforts were delayed by the continued presence of fighters, leaving many bodies unrecovered. The United Nations mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) condemned the attacks and noted it had previously rescued nearly 200 people from the initial CRP assault. The region has suffered from long-standing conflict between the Hema and Lendu groups over control of mineral resources, leading to a severe humanitarian crisis with nearly one million internally displaced persons. Local leaders have urged restraint to prevent further cycles of retaliation amidst the ongoing instability.