Over 40 killed in rebel attack in northeast DR Congo, ending brief regional calm

More than 40 people were killed Sunday in an attack by Allied Democratic Forces rebels in northeastern DR Congo, ending a months-long period of regional calm, the UN mission and Congolese military said.

The ADF, which pledged allegiance to Islamic State in 2019, raided a Catholic church in the town of Komanda where worshippers were gathered for prayer, residents told AFP by telephone from Bunia, capital of Ituri province.

The attack killed 43 people including nine children, according to the UN peacekeeping mission in the country.

“These targeted attacks on defenseless civilians, especially in places of worship, are not only revolting but also contrary to all norms of human rights and international humanitarian law,” said Vivian van de Perre, deputy chief of the peacekeeping mission.

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The Congolese army denounced the “large-scale massacre”, adding that “around forty civilians were surprised and killed with machetes and several others were seriously injured”.

It said the ADF had decided to take “revenge on defenseless peaceful populations to spread terror”.

Local sources had reported an earlier death toll of at least 35.

Lieutenant Jules Ngongo, army spokesman in Ituri, did not comment on the toll but confirmed the attack to AFP, saying “the enemy is believed to have been identified among ADF” rebels.

The bloodshed comes after months of calm in the region of Ituri, bordering Uganda.

The last major attack by the ADF was in February, leaving 23 dead in Mambasa territory.

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The town of Komanda in Irumu territory is a commercial hub linking three other provinces – Tshopo, North Kivu, and Maniema.

The ADF, originally Ugandan rebels who are predominantly Muslim, have killed thousands of civilians and ramped up looting and killing in northeastern DRC despite the deployment of the Ugandan army alongside Congolese armed forces in the area.

At the end of 2021, Kampala and Kinshasa launched a joint military operation against the ADF, dubbed “Shujaa”, which has so far been unable to dislodge the group.

The Congolese army promised to continue tracking the ADF and called on the population “to remain extra vigilant and report any suspicious presence to the defense and security forces”.