Militia executes 17 kidnapped people in eastern DR Congo

By Hassan Isilow

JOHANNESBURG (AA) - A militia in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo killed 17 people it kidnapped on Saturday, an UN-sponsored radio network reported on Sunday.

According to Radio Okapi, militants from the Cooperative for the Development of the Congo (CODECO) killed 17 people in the Djugu territory.

The victims were traveling in four vehicles to Mungwalu, Ituri province before they were kidnapped, it said.

They were reportedly kidnapped after three CODECO members were killed in a clash with a rival militia.

Meanwhile, a joint operation conducted by Ugandan and Congolese troops killed 20 rebels of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in eastern DR Congo, Uganda’s Daily Monitor publication reported Monday.

The ADF rebels originated from Uganda in the 1990s with the intention of ousting Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.

But after the rebels were overpowered by the army, they fled to the forests in eastern DR Congo where they frequently attack villages, killing civilians and looting property.

The Ugandan army and Congolese forces started a joint operation against them in December 2021 and have killed hundreds.