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9th October 2023
12:05pm BST
At least 15 people have died after children unknowingly brought home a live explosive they found while playing.
The tragedy unfolded on Friday when the kids reportedly came across a device near a palm oil tree in the village of Kyangitsi, in Masisi territory in North Kivu province of eastern Congo.
They then took it home to their parents, and as the adults were trying to determine what it was, the bomb went off and killed more than a dozen of those in the vicinity.
Telesphore Mitondeke, a member of a Masisi grouping of civil society organisations, commented: "At around 8pm local time, while some of the residents were trying to find out what it was, the bomb exploded."
Local sources report the majority of those who lost their lives were women and children.
A further two people were injured in the blast.
For the past two weeks, the region has been the scene of hostilities between local armed groups vying for control of villages, ABC News reported.
Many localities already have fallen under the control of the “Wazalendo” patriot self-defence forces.
According to local community leaders, the broadcaster said, part of the strategic town of Kitshanga is now in the hands of the young patriots, who have managed to dislodge the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels.
The clashes have caused panic among locals, prompting many to flee.
Mitondeke said the area “is littered with numerous explosive devices abandoned and booby-trapped by fighters."
Residents are being urged to be extremely vigilant and to not touch explosive devices if they come across one and to alert authorities immediatley.
Bertrand Bisimwa, the president of M23 rebels, and the group's political spokesperson, Lawrence Kanyuka, have claimed the conflict has been initiated by the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) soldiers in coalition with the Wazalendo militia.
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