Islamic State-backed rebels killed 89 people in multiple attacks in eastern Congo, UN says

GOMA, Congo (AP) — An Islamic State-backed rebel group killed 89 people during attacks on multiple villages in eastern Congo, the U.N. peacekeeping mission in the country said Friday.

In the village of Byambwe, around 60 kilometers (37 miles) west of the town of Lubero, the Allied Democratic Forceskilled at least 17 people in a hospital on Saturday, including 11 women receiving care in a maternity ward.

“Violence committed against civilians, including in medical facilities, may constitute war crimes and serious violations of international humanitarian law,” said Bruno Lemarquis, the acting head of the U.N. mission, known as MONUSCO.

The attacks by the ADF took place in the Bapere and Baswaghga local administrative areas, in the Lubero territory in North Kivu province, between Nov. 13 and Nov. 19, the mission said in a statement.

The statement said several other communities were also attacked, leading to more abductions, the looting of medical supplies, and the burning of homes and property in areas already facing severe humanitarian needs.

Armed groups including the ADF and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have carried out several deadly attacks in eastern Congo.

The ADF, which pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group in 2019, operates along the border with Uganda and often targets civilians.

In August, ADF fighters killed at least 52 people during several attacks in the same week, according to the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Congo.

The group also killed nearly 40 people in Ituri province in July, when it stormed a Catholic church during a vigil and opened fire on worshippers, including many women and children.

The ADF was formed by disparate small groups in Uganda in the late 1990s following discontent with President Yoweri Museveni. In 2002, following Ugandan military strikes, the group moved to neighboring Congo and has been blamed for the killings of thousands of civilians.

——

Banchereau reported from Dakar, Senegal.