At least 19 people have been killed over several days of clashes between militias in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, according to experts and a local official.
The fighting between rival militias “left 19 dead including two civilians and 17 combatants”, one of the experts in the Hauts Plateaux region told AFP on Friday.
The region has seen conflict between Congolese Tutsis of Rwandan origin, the Banyamulenge, and other communities.
“There was violent fighting since Monday” between Banyamulenge and rival militias, the local official said on condition of anonymity.
“We have counted at least 30 bodies,” he added.
If the death toll is confirmed it will be one of the biggest flare-ups of violence since the conflict resumed at the start of 2019.
