26 killed in inter-ethnic fighting in Congo

Kinshasa Feb 4 (IANS) At least 26 people have been killed in inter-ethnic fighting in Congo according to security sources.

The sources said the fighting on Saturday involved members of the Hema and Lendu community in Ituri province where a Hema village located a few kilometers from the city of Bunia was attacked Xinhua news agency reported.

Sources from the provincial government of Ituri also confirmed the incident saying that some villagers were killed and several houses were burned during the attack.

Police and soldiers were dispatched to the spot to prevent the spread of violence which followed days of tension between the two ethnic communities in the region.

The conflict between Hema and Lendu have made it difficult for the two communities to coexist for several years in the province of Ituri. Between 2001 and 2006 at least 60 000 people died in clashes between the two in Ituri.

--IANS
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