A deadly militia attack on a gold mine in northeastern Congo has claimed the lives of six Chinese miners and two Congolese soldiers. The attack, which occurred on Wednesday, targeted the village of Gambala and the nearby “Camp Blanquette” gold mine in Ituri province. Jean Robert Basiloko, a member of a local civil society group, confirmed the incident.
The Cooperative for the Development of the Congo, or CODECO, a notorious militia group, has claimed responsibility for the attack. Eastern Congo has been engulfed in a protracted conflict for decades, pitting government forces against over 120 armed groups. These groups often resort to violence against civilians, including bombings, in their pursuit of control over the region’s vast mineral wealth, including gold.
The violence has intensified in recent months as security forces engage in battles with the militias. On Wednesday, the attackers set homes ablaze before launching their assault on the mine, which is guarded by a rival armed group, the Zaire Militia. Basiloko informed the Associated Press that the attackers killed six Chinese miners and two Congolese troops, while also abducting two other miners whose whereabouts remain unknown.
The conflict between CODECO and the Zaire Militia is deeply complex, intertwined with economic ambitions and power struggles. The Zaire Militia, a breakaway faction of CODECO, fiercely opposes its former allies. CODECO itself is a loosely organized coalition of militia groups primarily composed of members from the Lendu ethnic farming community.
The devastating impact of CODECO’s attacks is evident in the casualty figures. According to the African Center for the Study and Research on Terrorism, CODECO attacks resulted in the deaths of nearly 1,800 people and injuries to over 500 in the four-year period ending in 2022. The United Nations has condemned some of these attacks as potential war crimes and crimes against humanity.
