The death toll from Friday’s assault on villages in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has climbed to 41, according to a spokesperson for the Congolese army.
Lieutenant Colonel Mak Hazukay, a military spokesperson in North Kivu province, attributed the attack to members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF).
The ADF, now situated in eastern Congo, has aligned itself with the Islamic State and regularly carries out attacks, exacerbating instability in a region already plagued by numerous militant groups.
The group is believed to have originated from neighbouring Uganda and is suspected of carrying out another assault earlier this week that resulted in the deaths of at least 16 people.
Armed individuals wielding guns and machetes launched an attack on villages in Beni territory overnight on Friday, according to local official Fabien Kakule.
Vusindi Nick Junior, a local civil society leader, reported that a local health center was set on fire and nine people were injured in addition to the 41 fatalities.
“Several dozen civilians have fallen victim to the ADF in eastern DRC in recent days. Terrorist groups are capitalizing on the chaos to strengthen their grip on an already highly unstable region,” stated EU foreign affairs spokeswoman Nabila Massrali.
“There is an urgent need to expedite efforts to find a political solution,” she emphasised.
Julien Paluku, a former governor of North Kivu, highlighted on X that Congo’s national government must step up to address insecurity in the east.
However, the government has not issued any statement regarding the attack, and a government spokesman did not respond to requests for comment.
“People feel, whether rightly or wrongly, that they are being left to their unfortunate fate,” he remarked.
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