It’s calling on the Kinshasa authorities to investigate the attacks and look to providing reparations, medical and psychological help for the victims.

The United Nations Joint Human Rights office says at least 701 people have died between December 2017 and September 2019 in clashes between Hema and Lendu tribes in the DRC.

The Hema have been the major victims of  beheadings, rape and torture.

Attacks are mostly mounted at harvest time in June and are designed to drive the Hema off their land.

More than half a million have been internally displaced and  57 000 have fled into neighboring Uganda.

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The United Nations stabilizing mission MONUSCO says civilians, including children, were targeted.

The province of  Ituri  is one of those affected by the Ebola outbreak in the DRC.

The age-old violence between Lendu pastoralists and Hema herders, which has killed more than 200 people and displaced a further 30 000 since June ,   is one of the most serious challenges to medical staff trying to contain the epidemic.

People trying to flee this violence were cut down in the villages and displacement camps that came under fire from unidentified gunmen.

There has not been any comment yet from the DRC government or the United Nations.

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