Ethnic clashes in Congo kill 120, claims tribal leader

TWO days of clashes between rival ethnic groups in a troubled Congo region killed 120 people, a tribal leader said yesterday.

At least 60 members of the Lendu tribe were killed last Thursday by the rival Hema in the Ituri region near the Uganda border, said Thomas Lubanga, head of the Hema-led rebel Union of Congolese Patriots. He said the attack was ordered by Hema militia leader Chief Yves Kahwa Mandro.

The Lendu then killed about 60 Hema who were fleeing to Uganda to escape ongoing violence, Mr Lubanga said.

The United Nations could not independently confirm the reports because of instability in the long-troubled region, said Behrooz Sadry, deputy head of the UN mission in Congo.

It was not clear why Kahwa launched the attack, though violence between the two groups is common. Lubanga said Kahwa wanted to protect his turf.

The two communities have fought for control of land and other resources in the past, but casualties were low because they used primitive weapons.

But clashes have become more deadly since the Ugandan and Congolese governments armed the tribes to use as proxy fighters when a civil war erupted in Congo in August 1998.

The war in Congo broke out when Uganda and Rwanda sent troops to back rebels seeking to oust then-President Laurent Kabila. They accused him of arming insurgents threatening regional security.

Most foreign troops from the six countries that backed the rebels and the government have withdrawn since peace deals.