Militia groups step up attacks in Kivus

Uncontrolled armed groups were reported to be present in large numbers north of Rutshuru, in North Kivu, in recent weeks, with a corresponding increase in attacks on local populations and the occupation of villages, independent sources told IRIN. Armed elements were also reported to have carried out attacks in and around Masisi, Ngungu, Katoye, Kashariba and Nyanzale. In South Kivu, meanwhile, insecurity on the Kiliba-Kamanyola road south of Uvira, and in the Ruzizi plain - described by one source as “uncontrolled and uncontrollable” - had restricted the work of relief agencies, humanitarian sources said. The circulation in Kisangani, Butembo and Kindu of pamphlets calling for strikes - following on from civil disobedience campaigns in Goma and Bukavu - also appeared to reflect growing discontent in eastern DRC with the Congolese rebel groups and their backers, they added.