12 civilians killed in army-militia group clashes in DR Congo

At least 12 civilians were killed in violent clashes Sunday night between the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) and the Patriotic Force and Integrationist of Congo (FPIC), a local militia group, in the city of Makayanga of the northeastern Ituri province, reported Xinhua.

Several houses were burned by militiamen who fought the army for several hours before retreating to the forest near the attack site, according to local security sources.

Lieutenant Jules Ngongo, the army spokesman of Ituri, said in a statement that at least eight militiamen were killed during the clashes, adding that the situation is under the control of the armed forces in the affected city and its surroundings.

The FPIC militia coalition was launched earlier this year by members of a local community a hundred kilometers away from the town of Bunia, the provincial capital, to resist repeated attacks by rebels of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) operating simultaneously in North Kivu and Ituri, two provinces that have been under siege since early May.