Around 30 people were killed in attacks launched at the weekend by suspected Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels in eastern DR Congo, a local civil society leader said.
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The first information was provided Saturday evening in a message to the press by Kinos Kathuho, president of the civil society of Mamove, in the territory of Beni, on the border between the provinces of North Kivu and Ituri. It has not been possible since to obtain confirmation of this assessment from other sources, the area of the attacks being inaccessible and communications very difficult.
These two provinces in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, under siege since last May, have been plagued by violence from armed groups, including the ADF, for more than 25 years. A joint Ugandan-Congolese military operation was launched at the end of November against these rebels, accused of massacres of civilians in eastern DRC and jihadist attacks on Ugandan soil. The Islamic State (IS) group considers them its branch in Central Africa.
According to Mr. Kathuho, ADF rebels carried out an incursion in the night from Friday to Saturday in the village of Mambumembume. “At the moment we have a record of 27 people killed, several houses and motorcycles burned, several people missing“, he specified.
Two other groups of assailants went to two other nearby villages, where at least five people were also killed, he said. “People are fleeing in all directions“because in this sector”there is no military position“, regretted the official, asking the government to provide the army with sufficient means to “totally eradicate this enemy“.
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In addition, also on Friday, about 30 km away, in Eringeti, three civilians were killed, said Njiamoja Sabiti, an official in the office of the governor of North Kivu, also accusing the ADF.