KINSHASA: Suspected ADF militants on Sunday killed at least 19 people in eastern DR Congo, local officials, only days after the Islamist-aligned group carried out another massacre in the troubled region.
The Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), which the Islamic State (IS) group claims as its central African affiliate, is one of the ruthless armed militias in eastern DR Congo, accused of slaughtering thousands of civilians.
Former North Kivu Governor Carly Nzanzu Kasivita also tweeted that suspected ADF fighters had killed 19 people at the village, noting the figure was provisional.
Kirindera resident Mukondano Kambale said the militants killed people in a hotel and health clinic before being chased away.
“It’s fear and desolation in the center of Kirindera,” he said.
The latest attack occurred in the early hours of Sunday at Kirindera in North Kivu province’s Beni territory, according to village chief Katembo Kahongya.
“We have 17 dead and four injured,” he told a foreign news agency, adding that the militants had also set fire to buildings.
“They used bladed weapons and fire to execute the population,” Kahongya said.
Militants’ attacks in eastern DR Congo
According to officials and residents, the attack comes after suspected ADF rebels killed over 40 people in twin attacks in neighbouring North Kivu villages on Wednesday.
A joint Congolese-Ugandan military operation targeting the militia in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has been underway since late 2021, but attacks have nonetheless continued.
Last week, the United States offered a reward of up to $5 million for information concerning ADF leader Seka Musa Baluku.
