At least ten people have been killed in attacks in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo blamed on the jihadist rebels of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF). This was reported by local authorities on Saturday.
ADF rebels attacked the village of Kandoyi on Friday and set houses on fire, said Atibo Yofesi, who heads several villages in Iruma territory in Ituri province. On Saturday, young residents of the village found the bodies of nine civilians. Fighting continued in the neighboring village of Bandiboli, he says.
Dieudonné Malangay, a representative of the local community, confirmed the death toll in Kandoyi and added that a tenth civilian was killed in Bandiboli on Saturday in clashes between ADF rebels and the Congolese army.
Quote
The ADF has been present in eastern Congo since 1995, and in recent years they are said to have been behind several massacres that have already claimed hundreds of lives.
massacre
The ADF has been present in eastern Congo since 1995, and in recent years they are said to have been behind several massacres that have already claimed hundreds of lives. The Congolese authorities attribute the attacks to the ADF, but investigations have shown that the Congolese government army was sometimes involved in the violence.
The ADF has been claiming ties to Islamic State for some time, but it is unclear how close those ties are. In any case, the Ugandan government in Kampala accuses the ADF of being behind attacks on Ugandan territory claimed by IS.
Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi placed Ituri and the neighboring province of North Kivu under the control of security forces in an effort to reduce the violence, but the number of attacks on civilians has not yet decreased.
Review:
Free unlimited access to Showbytes? Which can!
Log in or create an account and don’t miss out on any of the stars.