At least 22 civilians killed in suspected ADF attack in eastern DRC: UN report

Suspected Allied Democratic Forces attackers killed at least 22 civilians in a village in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ituri province early on Sunday, according to an internal United Nations report and local civil society leaders.

The UN report, seen by Reuters, said the attackers struck Apakolu, about 25 kilometres northwest of Eringeti in Ituri province’s Irumu territory, at around 04:00 GMT on Sunday. The report said an unknown number of people were abducted.

Christophe Munyanderu, head of the local rights group CRDH in Irumu, said 25 civilians were killed, including 15 men whose bodies were found inside a house and seven others along a road.

The attackers were identified as members of the Allied Democratic Forces, an armed group active in eastern DRC.

The UN report said the Apakolu attack came two days after ADF fighters attacked the nearby village of Kazaraho, where they clashed with the army and local militia groups.

In a separate incident, local officials said ADF fighters attacked the village of Musengo in Lubero territory in North Kivu province on Saturday night, burning houses, shops and a Catholic church. Lubero administrator Colonel Alain Kiwewa told Reuters that two Congolese soldiers were killed during the army’s response, and that 14 houses were destroyed along with the local health centre and part of the church.

DRC’s army and Ugandan forces have pursued operations against the ADF, but raids have continued across the region. The UN human rights office said last week that the ADF were responsible for 138 killings in eastern DRC in November.

SOURCE: Reuters