According to two local government officials, at least 42 people were slain by suspected Islamists rebels in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo’s North Kivu region on Thursday. The attack took place on Wednesday in the Lubero territory town of Mayikengo, according to the officials.
An announcement will be made at a later time, according to a spokeswoman for the Congolese army in the area, who confirmed the attack.
At least 80 people were slain in a similar raid that rebels are said to have carried out earlier this week on villages in the same area. Alain Kiwewa, the Lubero administrator, stated that a toll of 20 to 30 had been reported on Thursday morning. He noted that the figure was preliminary and was likely to rise.
He placed the responsibility on the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an Islamic State-affiliated rebel organization that began as an insurgency in Uganda and has been operating out of the eastern Congo forests for nearly thirty years.
Earlier on Thursday, Macaire Sivikunula, the sector chief and another local official, told Reuters that 25 people had died, six of whom were women. It was the ADF he blamed, too. Later on, he said that 17 more dead had been discovered on a road that went to the local market.
According to Sivikunula, the suspected Islamists forced the locals to congregate in a market for a meeting before launching a knife and gun attack on the assembly.
Gentle Reminder: Be careful how you use your authority and influence, be wise, and treat others with respect.
Chychy Jonas