BUNIA, Congo (AP) Officials say violence in northeastern Congo between the Hema community and the Lendu ethnic group has now killed at least 150 people and has forced more than 32,000 people to flee to Bunia, where humanitarian assistance is strained and the suffering are eager for improved conditions.
According to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, another 28,000 have also fled into Uganda,.
There is a long history of tensions between the Lendu and Hema groups, whose ongoing battles since 1999 already have killed thousands and led the U.N. to deploy a peacekeeping force in the area. Much of it is rooted in economic tensions over land, as the Lendu historically have been farmers while the Hema raised animals and moved throughout the year to good grazing places.
