Beni – Suspected Islamist rebel forces killed at least 16 civilians overnight at three villages in the restive east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, local sources said on Thursday.
The attacks blamed on the jihadist Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) took place at Mayele, Kalembo and Toya in North Kivu province, said the Kivu Security Tracker, which maps violence in the region.
“The ADF is suspected,” the tracker said on Twitter.
Civil society coordinator Maleki Mulala told AFP the death toll was as high as 18, with more than a dozen people missing.
“Eighteen people, including four women were shot dead,” he said, accusing the army of failing to give pursuit.
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However, army spoksperson for the Beni region captain Antony Mualushayi said soldiers had clashed with a group of “terrorists” including ADF fighters in the area.
The Kivu barometer lists the killings of 944 civilians in North Kivu and neighbouring Ituri province since May when a state of siege was declared to try to control the violence.
The UN peacekeeping mission Monusco reported summary killings in the east of DRC surged in August, driven by rebel groups but also the armed forces.
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The ADF – a long-running jihadist group recently linked to the Islamic State (ISIS) organisation – had reportedly begun sharpening ancient disputes between ethnic communities by teaming up with one group against the other.
When the armed forces attack the ADF, the group responds by dispersing into small units and extending into a wider area, the report said.
Since 2019, ISIS has been claimed responsibility for some attacks against civilians and the army carried out by the ADF, which it calls its central African branch.
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Picture: Getty Images
Source: AFP
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