In the west of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mobondo militias attacked army positions in the village of Kinsele. Authorities report a death toll of about fifty dead, including 42 militiamen, in the clashes with the army.

Intercommunity tensions in the territory of Kwamouth in Maï-Ndombe, in the west of the Democratic Republic of Congo,persist.

The militiamen, described as members of the Yaka community, first attempted an attack on Friday before being routed by the army.

They returned with reinforcements on Saturday at dawn but were poorly equipped against the army.

"It seems the Mobondo militia attacked the Teke people," David Bisaka, provincial deputy for Maï-Ndombe, told RFI's correspondent in the country.

He added: "We struggle to understand how these people, civilians as they are, with machetes, sticks and 12 calibers, organised themselves to attack the well-armed soldiers...They must have formed a rebel movement."

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Accept Manage my choices The militiamen accuse government forces of siding with the Teke.

In response to these accusations, a senior army official firmly refused to identify ethnic groups, stating that only the protection of civilians and the reestablishment of state authority matter.

At the beginning of April, traditional leaders and militia leaders from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) signed an agreement with the government in the presence of President Félix Tshisekedi to cease hostilities.

"The hatchet has been buried," Stanys Libi, the chief of the neighboring Kimomo village, told RFI. "Why are the militiamen rising up to take up arms and attack government forces now?" he asked.

(with AFP)