At least 10 civilians killed in new rebel attack in eastern Congo

Suspected members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) attacked a village in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, killing 10 civilians Mangina Mayor Nicolas Kambale, said Thursday.

The attack, which tool place overnight from Wednesday to Thursday, occurred in the district of Mangina, located in the Beni territory of North Kivu province, said Kambale.

He said the assailants “wielding knives and firearms launched simultaneous attacks” in separate villages taking advantage of the darkness.

“Ten people were killed, but the death toll remains provisional as the search for several missing people continues,” he told reporters in Beni.

Kakule Vunyatsi, a civil society leader in the district, said they started hearing gunshots at around 6 p.m. local time (1600GMT) on Wednesday.

He urged the military to pursue the attackers in their hideouts to help restore security.

In addition to the killings, Vunyatsi said the rebels burned several houses and damaged property.

The latest attack brought the death toll from ADF attacks in the area to 14 in just 48 hours and forced hundreds of people to flee their homes, according to local media.

Four civilians were reportedly killed and six others wounded in an attack attributed to the rebel group on Tuesday.

The ADF, which has been active in eastern Congo for years, is affiliated with the ISIS (Daesh) militant group.

Since 2021, Ugandan and Congolese forces have been conducting joint operations against ADF rebels.

Amnesty International said in a report in May that while the ADF does attack security forces, their primary target in recent years has been civilians--not only to steal food, medicine and other supplies, but also in retaliation for military operations.