DRC declares ‘state of siege’
ERIKAS MWISI KAMBALE DEMOCRATIC Republic of Congo (DRC) President Felix Tshisekedi has declared a state of siege over the worsening violence in the eastern provinces of Ituri and North Kivu that has killed hundreds this year and displaced more than 1.5 million. A surge in attacks by armed militias and inter-communal violence in eastern DRC have killed over 300 people since the start of the year as government troops and U.N. peacekeepers struggle to stabilize the mineral-rich territory. Announcing Tshisekedi's decision, government spokesman Patrick Muyaya said: "The objective is to swiftly end the insecurity which is killing our fellow citizens…