At least 20 people killed in attack on IDP site in DRC: UN

UNITED NATIONS - At least 20 people were killed and several wounded in a raid on an internally displaced persons (IDPs) site in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), UN humanitarians said on Monday.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the attack near Drodro, in Djugu territory, Ituri is the fourth raid targeting largely internally displaced people in the province since Nov 19.

The latest attack, on Sunday, marks a worrying trend in terms of the protection of civilians and the lack of humanitarian access, OCHA said. Tens of thousands of people cannot access humanitarian assistance due to insecurity and attacks on sites hosting the displaced. Some UN humanitarian partners suspended operations.

"These attacks are violations of international humanitarian law and the 2009 Kampala Convention on IDPs," said David McLachlan-Karr, the UN humanitarian coordinator in the DRC. "They must stop immediately."

"I call on the Congolese authorities, both at the central and provincial level, to take urgent measures to protect the civilians, including those displaced," he said in a statement released in Kinshasa.

Ituri Province hosts 1.7 million displaced people, and there are reports of population movements since the latest attacks, OCHA said.