The rebel Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie (RCD) allegedly killed as many as 600 civilians in the southern Kivu town of Makobola over the New Year, residents told AFP on Saturday. The dispatch said RCD officials who accompanied journalists to the small town claimed only 23 people were killed including 10 civilians caught in crossfire during a clash with Mayi-Mayi fighters. According to AFP, a large proportion of the town’s 4,300 population have escaped into the forest. Those remaining said they feared retribution by the RCD if they talked to journalists about the alleged massacre. Meanwhile, the DRC government has demanded an international inquiry into the Makobola incident, state TV said on Friday.
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