Clashes between a tribal militia and security forces in a province of central Congo killed at least 31 people at the weekend, its vice governor said on Monday.

 

Hubert Mbingho N'Vula said on state TV that the conflict in Kasaï province started after a row between an uncle and a nephew over who had the title to a local chieftaincy, before Congolese forces stepped in to try to restore order.

 

"(The uncle) resorted to raising a militia," N'Vula said, adding that 13 security forces and 18 militiamen had been killed.

 

More than a decade after a 1996-2003 war that killed millions, the mineral-rich country remains a tinderbox of armed groups and ethnic militias.