AT LEAST 17 people have been killed by rebels in eastern Congo, local authorities said on Monday.

The people were abducted while driving on a road and then killed by the Co-operative for Development of the Congo (CODECO) militia group in Djugu territory in Ituri province over the weekend, Colonel Ruphin Mapela Mviniama told reporters.

“They attacked three vehicles and took them to Petshi, their stronghold, in the Walendu Djatsi district. The chief of [the district] confirmed that they executed 17 people, including the drivers of the three vehicles,” he said.

Fighting between CODECO, a loose association of various ethnic Lendu militia groups, and Zaire, a mainly ethnic Hema self-defence group, has been ongoing since 2017 but has worsened recently. 

According to local officials, at least 32 civilians were killed by CODECO last month. 

In December, the United Nations said the insurgent group was expanding its areas of control, attacking civilians and Congo’s military, and taxing communities in the areas that it holds.

The killings come amid surging violence across eastern Congo, where conflict has been simmering for decades as more than 120 armed groups are fighting in the region.

In neighbouring North Kivu province, the situation is deteriorating as the M23 rebel group continues to seize swathes of territory and kill civilians.

More than 1 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in North Kivu, Ituri and South Kivu provinces, according to the UN. 

The UN says that militia groups in Ituri, like CODECO and the Allied Democratic Forces, which is aligned with the Islamic State group, are taking advantage of the government’s focus on M23 in North Kivu province, causing large-scale displacements.

Local authorities are urging Congo’s government to send military reinforcements to secure the roads in the area to allow people to travel freely.