Civilians Killed By CODECO Receive Mass Burial In Poipo, DR Congo

The corpses of 18 civilians killed by the rebels of the Cooperative for the Development of Congo (CODECO) on Tuesday, Feb.15, in the sawmill village of Abalkozo, Ituri province, have been buried.

They were buried on Thursday, Feb. 17 in a mass grave in Poipo village, situated in Wabazo tribal group, according to  Jean Pierre Bikilosende, Mayor of the Mongbwalu rural council.

CODECO has in the last 10 days been holding hostage members of a delegation dispatched by President Felix Tshisekedi to Ituri to negotiate a ceasefire and the surrender of the rebels.

Meanwhile, a position of the DR Congo army, FARDC, was attacked on Friday, Feb. 18, by the Mai-Mai Yakotumba rebels in the locality of Bikobokobo, South Kivu.

According to civil society sources, one person died during the attack while another one was injured as two rebels were also captured.

“The security situation remains confused following repeated attacks by Mai-Mai Yakotumbe here in Bibokoboko. This Friday at about 5 o’clock in the morning, they came in from Bijanda and Kafulo and succeeded in burning down the FARDC position in Bibokoboko,” said Cyprien Kakiza, president of the civil society in the locality of Bikobokobo.

“It was around 11 o’clock that the army responded and succeeded in pushing back the enemy. The provisional casualty figure is one dead and one wounded. On the side of the army, it is still difficult to give a figure but there are two Mai-Mai captured.”

The attack has been confirmed by the army without giving further information.

“I know about the attack by Mai-Mai this morning in Bikobokobo and I confirm the attack,” Lt. Marc Elongo, spokesperson of Operation Sokola 2 in South Kivu confirmed.

The locality of Bibokoboko has been the theatre of multiple Mai-Mai attacks in recent days.

On Tuesday, Feb. 15,  the army pushed back an attack during which four civilians and 14 assailants were killed, according to figures given by the army and civil society.