Islamic State-linked rebels kill 89 civilians in east Congo attacks — UN

The United Nations (UN) peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo has revealed that Islamic State-linked fighters carried out deadly assaults across the eastern part of the country, killing 89 civilians.

The UN peacekeeping mission in the Central African country, also known as MONUSCO, said on Friday that the attacks were launched by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) between November 13 and November 19 in several communities in North Kivu province, with the death toll including at least 20 women and an unspecified number of children.

MONUSCO reported that one of the assaults targeted a Catholic Church-run health centre in Byambwe, where rebels killed at least 17 people, including women seeking maternity care, and set fire to four wards used for treating patients.

The mission added that the group also committed other violations, including abductions and the looting of medical supplies.

“MONUSCO urges the Congolese authorities to promptly initiate independent and credible investigations to identify the perpetrators and accomplices of these massacres and bring them to justice,” the statement said.

Local officials earlier told Reuters that suspected ADF fighters were responsible for another attack last month that killed 19 civilians in the village of Mukondo, also in North Kivu.

The ADF in September claimed responsibility for one of its deadliest recent assaults, which left more than 60 civilians dead at a funeral in eastern Congo.

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The ADF originated in Uganda but has operated from Congo’s forests since the late 1990s, and the Islamic State recognises the group as an affiliate. Despite joint operations by Congo’s army and Ugandan forces, ADF attacks have persisted across the region.

Meanwhile, other areas of North Kivu remain under the control of M23 rebels, who have mounted a rapid advance this year.

International mediators, including the United States and Qatar, continue efforts to negotiate a settlement in that conflict, with Washington hoping stability will help attract Western investment to Congo’s mining sector.

(Reuters)

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