8 shot dead or decapitated in eastern Congo, group says

KINSHASA, Congo – A Congo human rights group says eight people have been shot dead or decapitated by machetes in an attack by an armed group in the eastern part of the country.

The director of the Center for Studies of Peace and Defence of Human Rights, Omar Kavota, told The Associated Press that the attack occurred overnight Monday in Kibirizi in North Kivu province.

Kavota said Tuesday that the victims included a 1-year-old child.

His organization said the attack was thought to be carried out by a local militia called the Mai-Mai Nyatura.

He said the army later arrived to try to dislodge the militia from the village and that many residents have fled.

Eastern Congo is home to multiple armed groups that compete for control of the region’s vast mineral resources.