Six rebels, two policemen and a soldier were killed when an armed group raided the eastern DR Congo town of Bukavu early Wednesday, the governor of South Kivu province said, IgbereTV reports.
“The FARDC (armed forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo) and police… killed six assailants, wounded four others, took 36 captives and recovered 14 weapons,” Governor Theo Ngwabidje Kasi told the press.
“We also sadly lost three members of our security force,” he said.
Ngwabidje said the town had been attacked from 1 am by a group that had targeted several police stations.
“The situation is under control,” he said.
He said investigations were underway to identify the attackers.
A military source earlier said the assailants were from a previously unknown group called the CPC64.
The region’s military commander, Bob Kilubi Ngoy, said the group had sought to free members who had been arrested by police several days earlier.
The group attacked a military base in a bid to steal ammunition but were pushed back, and then tried to head to the town centre but were also repelled, he said.
