DRC: Ugandan ADF Rebels Kill 700 People In Béni

Inhabitants of Béni in the Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC’s North Kivu Province over the weekend took to the streets for the umpteenth time to protest incessant deadly attacks by rebels from neighbouring Uganda, Radio France International, RFI reported. Allied Democratic Forces, ADF combatants have been wreaking havoc in the area for years in cross-border forays.

Since October 2, 2014, at least 700 civilians have been killed Béni in massacres blamed on ADF rebels, including 15 Tanzanian UN peacekeepers last December. According to Human Rights Watch and the Congo Study Group, at least 235 people have been killed in more than 100 ADF attacks between January and September 2018. The latest of the deadly raids took place on October 20, 2018 at about 6 pm local time when the rebels entered Béni, bypassing an army position.

RFI cited local military and security sources as saying the invaders were armed with automatic firearms and machetes. They killed at least 12 civilians, kidnapped about 15 others – including 10 children - and ransacked homes before being chased out by the army and MONUSCO UN peacekeepers. Amongst the dead were four women and a child. Captain Mak Hazukay, spokesman for the army in the region confirmed the attack, saying sold...