No fewer than 20 people have been killed in raids on three villages in eastern Congo by insurgents, under the aegis of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF),, reports have said.
According to The United Nations, the ADF – a Uga ndan armed group operating in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo for more than three decades – have killed over 1,000 civilians since the start of 2019.
The army and local authorities discovered the victims of the latest massacre on Wednesday in the villages of Mapasana, Mayitike and Sayuni, about 30km north-west of the city of Beni.
The killings come just three days after a similar raid left 13 dead.
Late 2019 the, Congo army launched a large-scale operation against the ADF, sparking a string of revenge attacks against civilians that the U.N. says may constitute war crimes.
“The population is distraught and on edge,” said Rosette Kabula, deputy administrator for Beni territory.
“It is a moment of mourning.”
“Our ultimate mission is to protect the integrity of the national territory, but unfortunately the enemy is bypassing our troops to attack the population,” Antony Mwalushayi, an army spokesman stated.
The attacks started at about 6 p.m. on Monday, and finished at about 5 a.m. the following day, according to CEPADHO, a local civil rights group.
Several attacks attributed to the ADF have also been claimed by Islamic State, although researchers and analysts say there is a lack of hard evidence linking the two groups.
The insecurity has forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes, thereby complicating Congo’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.