ITURI: VIOLENCE NEAR BUNIA, VICTIMS
Roughly 20 people apparently died in an attack by heavily armed men around 50 kilometres north of Bunia, the main town in the northeastern region of Ituri, on 29 December, âRadio Okapiâ, the MONUC (UN Mission in Democratic Republic of Congo) said this morning. For now, there are no further details of the incident. The attack seems to have taken place in Dala, roughly 25 kilometres from Iga Barriere, on the road connecting Bunia to the Mongwalu gold mines. Around 50 people were massacred by presumed Hema fighters in this village in July. Ituri saw serious clashes between rebel factions made up of Lendu and Hema militias throughout 2003. The Lendu and Hema are two of the main ethnic groups in the region. Bunia fell into rebel hands in May last year. Roughly 3,000 United Nations soldiers have been stationed in the town for a few months, and have managed to contain the continued violence in the region.
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