WORLD / AFRICA
Three killed in clash over DR Congo gold mine
Published: Jul 24, 2022 08:38 PM
Three people died as rival militias clashed for a second day on Saturday for control of a gold mine in DR Congo's troubled northeastern province of Ituri, the groups said.

Scores of armed groups roam Ituri and neighboring North Kivu, many a legacy of two regional wars a quarter of a century ago.

Ituri and North Kivu have under an army-led "state of siege" since May 2021 in a bid to clamp down on the militias.

Fighting began Friday around the Tulabo mine in the Irumu territory between the Patriotic Resistance Force of Ituri (FRPI) and the Patriotic and Integrationist Force of the Congo (FPIC), residents said.

"FRPI militiamen built a camp to exploit the Tulabo gold mine. It's a provocation. During the fighting to drive them out, two were killed and one died on our side," said Kabulano Nyamabo, an FPIC spokesperson.

An FRPI spokesperson confirmed the two deaths.

"Some of our elements can end up exploiting gold illegally. But the FPIC attacked us for no reason," the militia's spokesperson Muno Munobi told AFP.

The army claimed to have restored order.

"The regiment commander and his men arrived on the ground and the army imposed order. We are already putting in place a mechanism to control the natural resources" in this area, said Lieutenant Jules Ngongo, a spokesperson for the army in Ituri.