A militia from DR Congo’s Nande ethnic group has killed thirteen civilians including a child from the Hutu community in the restive North Kivu province, an official told AFP Monday.
A military operation to put an end to the Christmas Day killing spree left three Nande fighters dead, said local official Alphonse Mahano.
The violence came after 13 members of the Nande ethnic group were killed Thursday by Hutu militia forces in the same region.
Local officials however did not say whether the two attacks were linked.
“The victims (of the latest killings) were all Hutu. There was an eight-year-old girl, a father and the rest were women,” Mahano said.
“The Mai Mai Mazembe (Nande militia) and their allies attacked (the village of) Nyanzale on Sunday morning. The army intervened to restore order,” local army spokesman Guillaume Djike said.
According to the military spokesman, six members of the Nande militia were killed.
Nyanzale is a majority-Hutu town.
At least 35 civilians were killed in North Kivu province during the weekend.
Among them were 22 people killed on Sunday in Eringeti, a town 55 kilometres (35 miles) north of the regional hub Beni.
A string of attacks in the past year by both Hutu and Nande militia forces has deepened hatred between the communities.
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