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Death toll of attack blamed on ADF militia rises in DRC

At least six people died from machete wounds and the bodies of six others who were kidnapped were later found, an army spokesperson said.

AFP

Congolese policemen wear masks as they ride on their patrol pick-up truck amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Goma, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, March 19, 2020.

The death toll from an attack in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo blamed on the notorious ADF militia has reached 12.

At least six people died from machete wounds and the bodies of six others who were kidnapped were later found, an army spokesperson said in a statement on Sunday. An unknown number remain missing.

The violence happened early Saturday in Beni, North Kivu province, territorial administrator Donat Kibwana said earlier.

The Allied Democratic Forces, ADF, is blamed for slaughtering around 800 civilians over the past year in the province which borders Uganda.

Crimes against humanity

The United Nations said in July the group's attacks could constitute crimes against humanity and war crimes.

The ADF, which originated in the 1990s as a Ugandan rebel group, is one of more than 100 militias that plague the eastern provinces of the vast country.

The group makes money notably through wood trafficking and DR Congo officials suspect some military members are complicit in its violent raids.

The ADF has never claimed responsibility for attacks. But since April 2019, several of its assaults have been claimed by the so-called Daesh's Central Africa Province, without providing proof.

SOURCE: AFP