The Ugandan rebel group Allied Democratic Force (ADF) initiated a series of raids and attacks within the North Kivu province in the Democratic of Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The Associated Press reports that ADF raided several trading centers and villages. An exchange of gunfire on the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) between the ADF militants and United Nations (UN) peacekeepers injured one person and killed one UN peacekeeper. An attack against the DRC military headquarters in the town of Erigeti resulted in the death of 12 militants, 4 DRC soldiers, and 7 civilians. The civilians were hacked to death by machetes.

The UN condemned the attacks and stressed the importance of ensuring peace among armed groups in the North Kivu province of the DRC. The organization reports over 500 deaths have resulted in the area from armed group attacks since October 2014.

DRC has suffered from numerous raids and attacks from armed groups, especially in the eastern provinces. Ethnic, religious, and political differences have reignited instability and insecurity resulting in the internal displacement of over 2.8 million civilians since the 1990s.

To read more, visit:

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-congodemocratic-uganda-fighting-idUSKBN0TJ0O720151130
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=52689#.VnEuNRqDGkp
http://en.starafrica.com/news/ugandan-rebel-attack-on-drc-leaves-scores-dead-security-sources.html
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cg.html