BENI, Congo (AP) – A Congolese militia group has decapitated 42 policemen after ambushing them in Central Kasai province, which has seen a spike in deadly violence in recent months, a local official said Saturday.
Members of the Kamwina Nsapu militia staged Friday’s attack between the cities of Tshikapa and Kananga, according to Kasai Assembly President Francois Kalamba. The militia members freed six policemen because they spoke the local Tshiluba language, he said.
Kasai Gov. Alexis Nkande Myopompa said investigations were underway into the decapitations.
Large-scale violence erupted in the Kasai region in August when security forces killed the militia’s leader. More than 400 people have been killed and more than 200,000 displaced since then, according to the U.N. Human Rights Watch said it has received reports of scores killed in recent weeks.
While the violence is linked to local power struggles, there are also clear ties to Congo’s political crisis, according to Human Rights Watch. Anger has been growing in the country at long-delayed presidential elections, and dozens were killed in December amid protests as President Joseph Kabila stayed on past the end of his mandate. A deal reached between the ruling party and opposition to hold elections by the end of this year, without Kabila, remains fragile as the U.N. urges its implementation.