Death toll rises to 41 in attack on eastern Congo villages
The attack had been carried out by members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), said lieutenant-colonel Mak Hazukay, an army spokesman in Congo's North Kivu province.
The death toll has risen to 41 following an attack on Friday by suspected rebels on villages in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, a Congolese army spokesman said.
The attack had been carried out by members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), said lieutenant-colonel Mak Hazukay, an army spokesman in Congo's North Kivu province.
More To Read
- AUC chair Moussa Faki condemns intensifying violence in eastern Congo
- Gunmen kill at least 38 in attack on eastern Congo villages
- At least 16 killed by suspected rebels in eastern Congo, local official says
- Uganda military captures bomb expert in DRC, rescues nine
- Ugandan security on high alert as ADF fighters cross border from DRC
The ADF, which is now based in eastern Congo, mounts frequent attacks, further destabilising a region where many militant groups are active.
It originates from neighbouring Uganda and is alleged to be behind another assault that killed at least 16 people this week.
Armed men had used guns and machetes to attack residents of villages in Beni territory overnight on Friday, local official Fabien Kakule told Reuters.
Vusindi Nick Junior, a local civil society leader, said a local health centre had been set ablaze and nine people injured in addition to the 41 killed.
"Several dozen civilians have been victims of the ADF in eastern DRC in recent days. Terrorist groups are taking advantage of the chaos to expand their hold on an already very unstable region," said EU foreign affairs spokeswoman Nabila Massrali.
"We urgently need to accelerate efforts to find a political solution," she added.
Julien Paluku, a former governor of North Kivu, said on X that Congo's national government needed to do more to address insecurity in the east. The government has not yet made any statement on the attack. A government spokesman did not respond to requests for comment.
"People have the impression, rightly or wrongly, of being abandoned to their sad fate," he said.
Top Stories Today
- Autopsy: Kasipul MP Charles Were died from five gunshot wounds
- Police seek to hold officer, 3 others in Kasipul MP murder for 30 days
- Bobi Wine’s bodyguard appears in court after alleged abduction by Muhoozi
- National campaign launched to tackle GBV and femicide
- Four police officers charged with murder of Baby Samantha Pendo
- Rights groups decry injustice as 8 officers cleared in Baby Pendo case
- Kamukunji residents participate in NG-CDF public consultations
- Pope Francis's popemobile set to become health clinic for Gaza children
- Millers increase unga prices as maize supply tightens
- Court to rule on halt of prison recruitments, suspension of budget-making process
- State blames underdevelopment for insecurity in 23 counties
- Pakistani Bank Al Habib announces exit from Kenya after 7 years
- Baby Pendo murder case: 11 officers to be charged with crimes against humanity
- Somali coffee and tea: Why milk makes all the difference
- From chapati rolls to canjeero pizza: How families are reinventing snack time
- No cause for panic over unga prices, state says amid rising food costs
- Political leaders condemn shoe-throwing incident on Ruto in Migori
- Rwanda in talks to receive migrants deported from US
- Baby Pendo murder case: DPP drops charges against 6 senior police officers
- Voter moves to court seeking to stop police from arresting Governor Wamatangi
