DR Congo's armed forces said on Tuesday they had repelled a militia group that had attacked the city of Uvira, in the troubled east of the vast country.

Two officers and a soldier were killed and one was wounded, while two civilians were injured by stray rounds, regional military spokesman Major Dieudonne Kasereka told reporters.

No details were available about any losses among the assailants.

The raid happened late Monday morning, when so-called Mai-Mai militiamen -- members of an ethnic armed group -- attacked Uvira from the surrounding hills with the support of Burundian rebels, he said.

The group wanted "to loot people's property and get food supplies", he said.

The city, which has a population of several hundred thousand, lies on the northern shore of Lake Tanganyika, which the Democratic Republic of Congo shares with Burundi.

The assailants were repulsed after eight hours' fighting, and the situation is "under control", Kaseraka said.

Uvira lies in South Kivu, which has been grappling with ethnic violence for more than a quarter of century, after armed groups emerged along community lines on the back of two bloody wars.

On November 3, 11 people, six of them rebels, died when a group raided the provincial capital Bukavu and clashed with Congolese troops.

Related Links
Africa News - Resources, Health, Food

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The Space Media Network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceMediaNetwork Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceMediaNetwork Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

UN council members urge 'utmost restraint' in Sudan
United Nations, United States (AFP) Jan 17, 2022
Britain and France were among nine UN Security Council members to urge all parties in Sudan Monday to "exercise the utmost restraint" amid deadly violence during demonstrations against military rule. The call came as Sudanese security forces killed seven protesters among thousands rallying against last year's military coup, medics said. "We express our serious concern about the military coup in Sudan on October 25, 2021", said the text, which was also signed by Mexico, Albania, Brazil, Gabon, Gh ... read more