DAKAR, Senegal– A bomb in a refugee camp in eastern Congo killed at least five people, including children, a Congolese army spokesman said on Friday.
Two children and their mother were among the dead, and more than 20 people were injured, John Banyene, a civil society activist based in Goma, the provincial capital of North Kivu, told The Associated Press.
Lt. Col. Ndjike Kaiko, an army spokesman, blamed the attack on the Mugunga refugee camp in North Kivu on a rebel group, known as M23, with alleged links to Rwanda, in a statement provided to the AP.
A military spokesman for the rebel group, Lt. Colonel Willy Ngoma denied any involvement and accused the army of planting the bomb.
The M23 has seized more territory this week, capturing the mining town of Rubaya.
The city is home to deposits of tantalum, which is extracted from coltan, a key component in the production of smartphones. It is one of the minerals mentioned earlier this month in a letter from the Congolese government that questioned Apple about the technology company’s knowledge of “blood minerals” being smuggled into its supply chain.
The decades-long conflict in eastern Congo has produced one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with more than 100 armed groups fighting in the region, mainly over land and control of mines containing valuable minerals. Some are fighting to try to protect their communities.
Many groups are accused of carrying out mass murders, rapes and other human rights violations. The violence has displaced some 7 million people, many of them beyond the reach of aid.