17 civilians killed by suspected ADF rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

By James Tasamba

KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) - Suspected Ugandan rebels of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) killed 17 civilians in North Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a local official said Wednesday.

The victims of the overnight attack were working in their fields about 20 kilometers (12.43 miles) west of the town of Oicha in Beni territory, Oicha Mayor Nicolas Kikuku told reporters.

At least 17 bodies were taken to the morgue of Oicha's general hospital, said Kikuku.

Esdras Mathe, an official of the territorial youth council, said some of the victims, including women and men, were decapitated with machetes.

Mathe called on the army to intensify operations in North Kivu and Ituri provinces, saying the rebels were roaming there almost freely.

The attack came days after suspected ADF rebels killed 37 people in separate attacks last week in Beni, according to local authorities.

In 2021, Congolese and Ugandan forces launched a joint military offensive to flush out the ADF, which was founded in the 1990s by several opposition movements in Uganda to topple the government of President Yoweri Museveni.

The group pledged allegiance to the Daesh/ISIS terrorist organization in 2019.

The US on Wednesday announced its latest sanctions against three individuals accused of facilitating the activities of Daesh/ISIS in Africa, including financing the ADF.

The sanctions target key financiers and enablers who have facilitated the terror group’s expansion across Central, Eastern and Southern Africa.

Abubakar Swalleh, Zayd Gangat and Hamidah Nabagala were identified as key operators and intermediaries between Daesh/ISIS operations in countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Somalia and South Africa.