Regional

Two aid workers killed in eastern Congo convoy attack

United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) peacekeepers patrol towards the Kigonze camp for the internally displaced people in Bunia, Ituri province of the Democratic Republic of Congo March 2, 2023. (Reuters)

By Reuters | Tuesday, July 2, 2024

Local administrator Alain Kiwewa confirmed the convoy had been attacked and said five of its vehicles had been burned.

Two employees of Britain-based aid agency Tearfund have been killed in an attack on their convoy in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the charity said on Monday.

The workers had travelled by road from the town of Lubero to Butembo city in conflict-torn North Kivu province when they were attacked on arrival on Sunday, it said in a statement, without giving further details.

Many armed groups compete for influence and resources in mineral-rich North Kivu, which has also been battling an insurgency for more than two years that has deepened its long-running humanitarian crisis with over 2.7 million displaced within the province.

Local administrator Alain Kiwewa confirmed the convoy had been attacked and said five of its vehicles had been burned. He did not say who was responsible.