At least 80 people killed by suspected ADF rebels in DRC

NORTH KIVU, DR Congo

At least 80 people were killed between Tuesday, May 4, and Friday, May 7, in attacks by Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels in the villages of the Baswagha-Madiwe group, Beni territory (North Kivu), in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The attacks mainly happened on Friday night in the villages of Masala, Mapasana, and Mahini and were attributed to the ADF according to Lieutenant Colonel Mak Hazukay, an army spokesman in Congo’s North Kivu province.

These rebels also killed 30 other civilians in Masau, Mununze, Kabweke, and Manlese in the past two weeks.

The assailants also stole 25 motorcycles and set fire to several houses during their incursions.

The populations of the entities attacked by these rebels fled their homes to take refuge in Kyatsaba, some neighborhoods in the western part of the city of Beni, and in Mabalako, where the General Reference Hospital is overwhelmed with patients, including the injured.

Since May 3, the civil society of Beni territory reports that 123 civilians have been killed in various attacks attributed to ADF rebels in the Bapakombe-Pendekali region, in Mangina, Mantumbi, Kudukudu, Kalmango, and Beu-Manyama.

The ADF, which is now based in eastern Congo, has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State and mounts frequent attacks, further destabilizing a region where many militant groups are active.