April 2023 Banyani Kilo massacres

On April 14, 2023, militants from CODECO (Cooperative for the Development of the Congo), an armed group based in Ituri Province and predominantly composed of members of the Lendu ethnic group, attacked multiple villages in Banyani Kilo Chiefdom, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Between 46 and 62 people were killed in the attacks.

CODECO has for decades been engaged in conflicts with Hema communities over farming and land rights in Ituri. In recent years, the group's insurgency has disproportionately targeted civilians rather than being limited to inter-communal conflict.

The attacks on April 14 struck ten villages in Banyani Kilo chiefdom, including Itendeyi, Batata, Sabayido, Djambisse, Carriere Penge, Matete, and Kilo. The stated intent of the attacks was to seize control of these towns and exploit the gold mines located in the area. Jean-Robert Bassiloko, identified as the coordinator of civil society in Kilo, reported that 35 people were killed in Kilo and the surrounding villages, while ten more were killed near Matete. Separately, Congolese member of parliament Gratien Iracan reported that at least 62 people were killed across the CODECO attacks. Thirteen additional people were reported wounded. Both women and men were among those killed, along with five children. Militants also burned homes and destroyed property in the affected villages.

Local leaders in Banyani Kilo chiefdom condemned the massacres. On April 15, the Congolese Army stated that the situation had been brought under control, though it did not provide further detail on the security response or any operations undertaken.

In the aftermath of the April 14 attacks, CODECO militants killed eight farmers on April 30 in the villages of Duvire, Njalo, and Bengi, all located in Djugu territory, indicating continued violence in the region following the initial massacres.

As of the available reporting, no individuals have been named as charged, convicted, or otherwise held legally responsible for the killings, and the case is documented here based on a single detailed narrative source, with two additional contemporaneous news references cited but not directly quoted.