KEY POINTS
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ADF rebels kill civilians in brutal reprisal attacks.
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At least 52 people, including children, were massacred.
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UN mission condemns killings, warns toll may rise.
At least 52 civilians were slaughtered in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo after fighters from the Islamic State-backed Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) launched a wave of retaliatory attacks in Beni and Lubero, UN and local officials said.
Rebels armed with machetes unleash deadly violence
Witnesses and officials said the rebels stormed several villages between August 9 and 16, dragging residents from their homes before binding and killing them with machetes and hoes.
In the Lubero territory, more than 30 people were killed in the village of Melia alone.
“Among the victims were children and women whose throats were slit in their homes, while several houses were set on fire,” said Alain Kiwewe, the area’s military administrator. Local leaders described the attacks as some of the deadliest in recent months.
ADF rebels kill civilians in brutal reprisal
The Congolese army said the killings were reprisals after government troops dealt heavy losses to the ADF. The UN mission in Congo, MONUSCO, condemned the massacres “in the strongest possible terms,” warning that the death toll could rise as searches continue.
According to Reuters, Lieutenant Elongo Kyondwa Marc, a regional army spokesperson, said the rebels deliberately targeted civilians after suffering defeats. The ADF, one of dozens of militias operating in Congo’s mineral-rich east, has long been accused of atrocities.
Just weeks earlier, ADF fighters killed 38 people during a church attack in the same region. Congo’s army, backed by Ugandan forces, has intensified its operations, but communities remain vulnerable as rebel groups continue to thrive on resource conflicts and porous borders.
