International Desk : At least 14 people were killed in the eastern Congolese province of Ituri after militia attacked worshippers praying in a church, reports Reuters.

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The Cooperative for the Development of the Congo (CODECO) group, one of many militias operating in the conflict-ridden east, was behind the attack, said Djugu territory administrator Ruphin Mapela and civil society leader Dieudonne Lossa.

Dieudonne Lossa said "The victims were praying to the Lord, but unfortunately militiamen identified as CODECO opened fire on them."

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Both said that 9 civilians, 4 assailants and a soldier were killed.

Mapela said that militants attacked Mesa, Cepac and Aumopro churches located near the shore of Lake Albert in the Bahema-Nord chiefdom.

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Ituri army spokesman Jules Ngongo Tshikudi said "We call on the population to remain calm as the armed forces pursue these criminals to put them out of action."

The CODECO raids have worsened a longstanding humanitarian crisis in Ituri province, where some 3 million people are in desperate need of aid, according to a U.N. humanitarian agency.

Sun News/MR

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