Over 30 People Killed In Terrorist Attack In East Of DR Congo - Army

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th March, 2023) At least 36 people were killed in a terrorist attack in the province of North Kivu in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Army Captain Anthony Mwalushay told Sputnik on Thursday.

According to the army officer, the rebel Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) took part in the attack.

"ADF terrorists attacked the city of Mukundi yesterday around midnight (22:00 GMT). They used steel arms instead of firearms so that the military personnel who were in relative proximity would not hear the sounds of the attack. According to preliminary data, 36 civilians were killed," he said.

The army became aware of the attack only after terrorists had begun leaving the city and immediately launched the chase, the military said.

There are many various rebel groups operating in the east of the DRC. The ADF, mainly composed of Islamists, was created in 1995 and is active in the DRC and Uganda. The Ugandan government considers it a terrorist group, and the UN blames the rebels for the deaths of hundreds of civilians since 2014.

In 2017, the rebels swore allegiance to the Islamic State terrorist group (IS, banned in Russia). In April 2019, the IS claimed responsibility for an attack in the DRC for the first time. ADF rebels then attacked barracks of DRC armed forces and members of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the DRC.