DRC: tragic results in the east, more than 80 deaths attributed to the ADF

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A rebel attack in eastern DRC leaves 41 dead, bringing the toll to more than 80 this week. The ADF is suspected, calling for immediate political action.

The death toll rose to 41 after an attack by suspected Islamist rebels on villages in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Friday, a Congolese army spokesman said, bringing the total number deaths in the region to more than 80 since Tuesday.

According to an army spokesperson in the North Kivu province of the DRC, the villages of Masala, Mapasana and Mahini were attacked Friday evening by members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF).

Originating from neighboring Uganda, the ADF is suspected of being behind several assaults in the region over the past week, including one that killed 17 people in the village of Masawu, two civil society leaders said.

On Thursday, five bodies were discovered in the villages of Kabweli and Mamulese, according to Justin Kavalami, a member of civil society involved in the search. The same day, six other bodies were found in a river near the village of Mununze, the village chief reported.

On Friday, 13 more bodies were found in Makobu village, a civil society leader and the village chief said, bringing the total number of people killed by suspected ADF militants since Tuesday to 82.

On Saturday June 8, according to members of civil society, 42 bodies of civilians murdered by the ADF were discovered in Masala, bringing the total number of people killed by suspected ADF militants since Tuesday to 82. The armies of the DRC and of Uganda have been carrying out joint operations against them since the end of 2021, but without succeeding in stopping their abuses.