Death toll from rebel attack in northeast DR Congo rises to 18
The death toll from an attack by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Monday has risen to 18, local authorities said on Tuesday.
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Mundo RD Congo
"The [initial] tally has increased. We have gone from 13 to 18 bodies of civilians killed in an ADF attack here in Mambasa" in Ituri province, provincial deputy Leku Puebo told the EFE news agency.
"Civilians are killed every day. It is always the ADF that is behind these attacks," added the deputy, who also lamented the disappearance of an unknown number of people.
The attack took place last Monday night in the villages of Kakumbukumbu and Nakota, in the Babila-Babombi area.
"I must confess that the situation is still difficult in the two villages, where everything is at a standstill because we have just buried some bodies," said Puebo.
The ADF is a Ugandan rebel group, but is currently based in North Kivu and Ituri, where they carry out constant attacks.
Their targets are unclear, beyond a possible link to the Islamic State (IS), which sometimes claims responsibility for their attacks.
Although experts from the United Nations Security Council have found no evidence of direct support from IS, the United States identified the ADF in March 2021 as a "terrorist organization".
Ugandan authorities also accuse the group of organizing attacks on their territory and, in November 2021, the armies of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which borders Angola, launched a joint military operation to combat the rebels.
Since 1998, eastern DRC has been plunged into a conflict fueled by rebel militias and the army, despite the presence of the UN mission in the country (MONUSCO).
Read Also: US accuses Rwanda of attack on displaced persons camp in DR Congo (Portuguese version)
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