This archive report was first published on 24 July 2019.
At least 19 people have lost their lives in a series of brutal attacks in the Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) volatile northeast region. The attacks, which occurred on Tuesday, were carried out by armed gangs linked to the Islamist-rooted ADF militia group.
According to regional administrator Donat Kibwana, nine civilians were killed and four injured at Oicha Mabasele near the city of Beni. Three more civilians were killed in nearby Eringeti, also by suspected ADF members.
These attacks are the latest in a string of violence that has plagued the North and South Kivu provinces of the DRC. The ADF, a group that arose in western Uganda in 1995, has been blamed for massacring hundreds of civilians, killing UN peacekeepers and DRC troops, and for a number of kidnappings of medical and other staff.
Locals have expressed frustration with the authorities' response to the violence. 'We alerted the authorities about the presence of the ADF near Oicha several weeks ago,' said local representative Noella Muliwavyio. 'The population has been thrown into panic.'
Resident Pascal Soli, a nurse, fled with his four children to the local hospital to hide when the shots rang out. He later found out that his neighbour had been 'slaughtered.'
President Felix Tshisekedi visited the volatile province earlier this month and ordered the army to launch a 'large-scale' operation against militias there. However, local authorities say at least 160 civilians have been killed in Ituri since June 10 in clashes between armed groups.
The instability has forced more than 300,000 people to flee their homes, according to the UN refugee agency. Ituri and neighbouring North Kivu province are also trying to roll back an epidemic of Ebola that has claimed more than 1,700 lives since last August.
