Congolese migrants and officials have said scores of people were killed this month in neighboring Angola in what appears to be a crackdown on artisan diamond mining, a claim the Angolan security forces have strongly denied.

Angola,  launched an operation in recent weeks to get rid of thousands of people involved in digging for precious stones in the northeastern part of the country, many of whom are from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Following the crackdown, thousands of Congolese migrants have poured over the border into the Kasai region, as reported by Reuters. Congolese migrants who crossed the border between October 4-12 described violence, looting and forced displacement by Angolan security forces as well as a local tribe called the Tshokwe.