GOSMA, Congo (AP) — Rebels in eastern Congo, affiliated with the Islamic State group, killed at least 60 people in the overnight attack, officials said.
The attack was carried out by Democrats of the Alliance In Nutoyo, North Kibhu after residents gathered for burial.
“The ADF attack caused about 60 deaths, but the final toll will be given late tonight, as the territory has just deployed it to count the number of people who have been headed.”
“There were about 10 people. I saw the machetes. They told people they were gathering in one place and starting to cut. I heard people scream and I was fainted,” a survivor who was attending the burial told the Associated Press. She requested anonymity in fear of retaliation.
The region is suffering from a series of complex competition, including an increase in attacks by ADFs operating in the Congo-Uganda border areas. In July, the group carried out two major attacks in Ituri Province – Church attack Kill at least 34 people with Commanda Previous attack It killed 66 people at Ilm.
Despite a joint operation in which both the Congo and Uganda target rebel groups, the ADF, which pledged allegiance to Islamic state groups in 2019, continues to attack civilians.
The attack exacerbates the light-shape of Congo in the eastern region, where several other conflicts are unfolding, including a major conflict between the Rwandan-backed M23 rebel groups and the central government. The government is fighting multiple armed groups on different fronts that have taken troops from border villages, particularly to combat the M23s.
During a session at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Tuesday, UN High Commissioner Volker Talc said the ADF “uses a security vacuum.”