At least 20 people were killed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in an attack on Friday (April 7), said local authorities. The next day, Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack on a village in eastern Congo, in a statement on its Telegram channel. This also comes days after another attack by the same group in neighbouring Ituri province, in which 30 people were killed, as per the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Congo.
The attack on Musandaba
The attack, on Friday, took place in a village named Musandaba which is on the outskirts of the city of Beni, in the eastern part of the country. “We counted about 20 dead on Friday in the village of Musandaba,” said regional military administrator Colonel Charles Omeonga, as per media reports. He also attributed the attack to the “ADF terrorists,” reported AFP.
However, local civil society leader Patrick Mukohe told AFP that he counted at least 21 bodies of men and women at the site of the massacre which was some 30 kilometres west of the town of Oicha. He blamed the attack on the “enemy” ADF (Allied Democratic Forces) who “ambushed farmers at around 4:00 pm (local time)...near the village of Enebula”.
Notably, the province in question is one of two conflict-hit regions which was placed under military administration over a year ago to combat growing violence.
Additionally, the military spokesperson in the North Kivu region, Anthony Mwalushay said the attackers used machetes “to avoid confrontation with the army,” reported Reuters.
Previous attacks by the ADF and Islamic State
The ADF group, which is said to be affiliated with the Islamic State and has insurgents from Uganda, has gained a foothold in eastern DR Congo since the 1990s. The group has been accused of killing thousands in the country. However, since 2019, many attacks by the ADF have been claimed by the Islamic State.
On Thursday, the United Nations mission in Congo (MONUSCO) condemned the attack which had been carried out by the ADF and killed more than 30 people. Last month, the United States offered a reward of up to $5 million for any information about the group’s leader Seka Musa Baluku, reported AFP.
(With inputs from agencies)
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