Rebel fighters have tragically killed at least 52 civilians in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo in recent days. Attacks from the Allied Democratic Forces or ADF targeted several villages in the North Kivu province between August 9 and 16.
The UN peacekeeping mission in the country, known as MONUSCO, said the violence was accompanied by kidnappings and looting. The mission also warned that the current civilian death toll could tragically go up as more information becomes available from the villages.
Among the 52 total victims, at least nine were killed overnight from Saturday to Sunday in an attack on the town of Oicha. A few days earlier, the ADF had already killed at least 40 people in a brutal series of attacks in the Bapere sector.
A civil society leader reported houses were burned and people were tragically taken away during the assaults by the assailants. The ADF, an armed group originally formed by former Ugandan rebels, has tragically killed thousands of civilians in the region.
The deadly violence continues despite the deployment of the Ugandan army alongside the Congolese armed forces in a joint operation. The joint military operation, dubbed “Shujaa,” has so far not succeeded in putting an end to the brutal attacks.