As the rebels continued their attacks in the area where the volcano erupted last month, the martial law was extended by 15 days.

Politicians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo voted on Thursday to extend martial law in the turbulent eastern region for 15 days. A month ago, they replaced civilian authorities with military authorities in North Kivu and Ituri provinces.

Since the civil war officially ended in 2003, violent incidents have been common in the mineral-rich eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but insecurity has risen sharply in the past two years.

On May 6, the government implemented a state of siege in an attempt to end the bloodshed. Violent attacks have continued since then, but Attorney General Ross Mutombo said that many militia fighters have surrendered and the army has taken control of new areas.

Mutombo said: “There is still a lot of work to be done. The recent eruption of the Nyiragongo volcano under siege has forced the government to concentrate on dealing with this natural disaster.”

According to United Nations data, the May 22 eruption caused a lava river to flow through the outskirts of Goma, killing at least 31 people and making 20,000 homeless.

The state of siege failed to stop Kill At least 55 people were attacked by rebels on Monday, which may be the worst night of violence in the area in at least four years.

The Mayor of Mongwalu District, Jean-Pierre Pikilisende, told AFP that on Wednesday, 11 miners in Djugu, a gold-rich district in Ituri province in the northeast Killed by a local organization called the Congolese Patriotic Forces and Integrationists (FPIC). .

Pikilisend said that the rebel fighters had taken control of the area, where the gold was mined by poor artisanal diggers.

Kivu Security Tracker (KST) is a respected non-governmental organization responsible for monitoring violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. The organization said 12 people have been executed.