Authorities said a raid by a previously unknown armed group on the eastern DR Congo city of Bukavu early Wednesday, left six rebels and three security force members dead, with dozens of the mysterious fighters arrested.
Reports show that numerous armed groups have been active in South Kivu province for the past quarter of a century, but the provincial capital Bukavu has not seen such an attack in years.
South Kivu Governor, Theo Ngwabidje Kasi told reporters that the Democratic Republic of Congo’s armed forces and police “killed six assailants, wounded four others, took 36 captives and recovered 14 weapons.
He added that three members of the country’s security forces, two police officers, and a soldier paid the supreme price.
The region’s military commander, Bob Kilubi Ngoy, said the assailants were from an unknown group called the CPCA-A64, for Coalition of Congolese Patriots for the Application of Article 64. Article 64 of DR Congo’s constitution calls on citizens to resist any seizure of power by force.
