Congo says 4 000 displaced by attacks in Pool region

Republic of Congo's government says that more than 4 000 people have been driven from their homes in the southern Pool region since April, when members of a former militia group started launching attacks.

Government spokesperson Thierry Moungalla said on Tuesday that 2 200 people have moved to Kinkala, Pool's capital, and another 1 500 left for other areas. The government blames members of the ex-militia group Ninjas Nsiloulou for killing at least 18 people in the past week.

The army deployed to Pool in April after militiamen killed 17 people. The attack came weeks after longtime President Denis Sassou N'Guesso's re-election.