Islamic Rebel Group Attack Leaves 37 Dead in Northern Congo
Village attacked by Islamic rebel forces, North Kivu. Photo: X/ @davideravera
July 21, 2024 Hour: 3:46 pm
At least 37 fatalities and an indefinite number of kidnappings are the result of a new series of attacks by Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) militias in the North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
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The attack occurred at around 09.00 local time (07.00 GMT) last Wednesday in the village of Kazor in the Mamove sector of North Kivu province.
The number of victims of the ADF attack in Mamove has increased. There are currently 37 civilians killed after the discovery of 26 bodies. Nine houses were burned and motorcycles were burned, said Mamove civil society president Kinos Katuho.
Katuho also warned about the rebel presence in the area, but were ignored by authorities, exacerbating the tragedy. As of Saturday morning, the death toll is expected to rise due to ongoing searches for abducted civilians.
The attacks, which began on Tuesday, July 16, have prompted calls for immediate and joint military action by the Congolese and Ugandan armies.
The ADF is a militia of Ugandan origin, but currently has its bases in the neighbouring provinces of North Kivu and Ituri, where they carry out frequent attacks and terrorize the population since the intensification of attacks against civilians.
The Ugandan authorities also accuse the group of organising attacks within its territory and, in November 2021, the Ugandan armies and the DRC began a joint military operation still under way to fight these rebels.
Although UN Security Council experts found no evidence of direct IS support for ADF, the United States has identified ADF as a “terrorist organization” affiliated with the jihadist group since March 2021.
Autor: ACJ
Fuente: CGTN Africa // EFE // Rwanda Dispatch