At least 9 killed in suspected ADF rebel attack in eastern DRC

GOMA, DR Congo | Xinhua | At least nine people were killed overnight from Saturday to Sunday in the latest attack blamed on Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, local sources said Sunday.

Witnesses said the assault took place in the town of Oicha, in Beni territory of North Kivu Province, where eight civilians and a police officer were watching a football match inside a house. The attackers reportedly surrounded the building and set it on fire, burning the victims alive. It was not immediately clear how many people were inside the house at the time.

Charles Omeonga, Beni’s military administrator, condemned the attack after visiting the site on Sunday, saying extra troops had been deployed to pursue the assailants, who fled into nearby forests. A security meeting was being held in response, local officials said.

The ADF, an Islamic State affiliate in Central Africa and a Ugandan-origin armed group, has escalated assaults on villages in North Kivu and Ituri provinces in recent weeks, mainly targeting civilians. On Thursday night, about 45 people were killed in multiple ADF raids in neighboring Lubero territory, while in late July, some 40 civilians were massacred during an attack on a Catholic church in Ituri.

Joint Congolese and Ugandan military operations against the ADF have been ongoing since November 2021, but attacks have persisted. ■