Suspected Islamists in eastern Congo kill more than 80 in a week

10/6/2024 11:36

        The death toll has risen to 41 following an attack on Friday by suspected Islamist rebels on villages in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a Congolese army spokesman said, bringing the total toll in the region to more than 80 since Tuesday.
        
        Friday night's attack, on the villages of Masala, Mapasana and Mahini, 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 ADF, which is now based in eastern Congo, has pledged allegiance to Islamic State and mounts frequent attacks, further destabilising a region where many militant groups are active.
        
        It originates from neighbouring Uganda and is alleged to be behind multiple assaults in the area over the past week, including one in the village of Masawu that killed 17 people, two civil society leaders said.
        
        On Thursday, five bodies were found in the villages of Kabweli and Mamulese, according to Justin Kavalami, a civil society member who helped search for bodies. The same day, six bodies were recovered from a river in the village of Mununze, that village's chief said.