On Sunday, 28 February, the army of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) reported two attacks by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) which killed at least ten civilians. In one of the attacks, at least eight civilians were beheaded in the village of Boya, Ituri province. Meanwhile, in another attack, two of the civilians were shot to death in the village of Kainama located in Beni territory of North Kivu.
This is not the first time that similar attacks have taken place in the DRC. Similar violence was reported as early as January of 2021 and the Allied Democratic Forces are suspected of killing more than 800 civilians in 2020 in North and South Kivu Provinces. This rebel group, created in the 1990s in western Uganda with the goal of creating an Islamic State, has subsequently established a base in the DRC since 1995.
Congo's eastern border areas with Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi are frequently hit by similar rebel attacks and continue to be a high-risk territory for civilians. This alarming increase in human rights violations and civilian deaths must stop to ensure the safety of Congo's citizens. Along with demands from international organisations, including the United Nations, the DRC has been trying to stop rebel forces since 2019 but has not yet been able to end the killing of civilians.
To learn more, please read:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/1/15/scores
Author: Carla Pintor; Editor: Shrabya Ghimire
