Suspected ADF rebels kill eight in DR Congo attack
Wednesday February 21 2024
Suspected militants linked to the Islamic State group have killed eight people in an attack in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a local official said on Tuesday.
Rebels from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) attacked Mayimoya in Beni territory late Monday, administrative official Sabiti Njiamoja said.
"Eight people including three women were killed," he said, adding the army was carrying out a search operation in the nearby bush.
"We call on our soldiers to take their responsibilities because lately there's ADF militancy in Eringeti, Kainama and Kokola," he said, referring to northern locations in North Kivu province.
The ADF, historically a Ugandan Muslim majority rebel coalition, established itself in eastern DRC in 1995.
Its adherents have since killed thousands of civilians, with attacks spreading from North Kivu to neighbouring Ituri province in recent years.
The group, one of the deadliest militias in the strife-torn area, pledged allegiance to the Islamic State organisation in 2019.
In December, the ADF was accused of two attacks in western Uganda in which 13 villagers were killed.
In late 2021, the Ugandan and Congolese armies launched a joint military operation against the ADF but attacks have not stopped.
The last major attack blamed on the group was February 6, when 11 villagers were killed in raids on several villages in Ituri's Mambasa area.