BENI, Democratic Republic of Congo, Nov 24 (Reuters) – At least 14 people were killed in an attack attributed to armed Islamists on a town in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Thursday evening, people said Friday a mayor, a representative of civil society and a survivor.
The attackers appear to be rebels from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a Ugandan movement based in eastern DRC and having pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group. The ADF regularly attack villages, sometimes with machetes.
The mayor of the town of Oicha, in Congo’s North Kivu province, told Reuters the ADF killed civilians with knives and guns before fleeing.
“At present, calm has returned to the area even if residents are afraid,” said Nicolas Kikuku.
The attack occurred when it was dark and surprised residents, said a civil society representative, Marcel Nzanzu, and a survivor, Dieudonné Kakule. (Report by Erikas Mwisi Kambale, written by Anait Miridzhanian, French version Bertrand Boucey, edited by Zhifan Liu)
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