KINSHASA, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- At least 20 people were killed overnight from Friday to Saturday in an attack attributed to Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), several local sources told Xinhua.
The rebels raided the village of Byambwe in Lubero territory, North Kivu Province, looting the area and setting fire to about 20 houses. They then moved toward the nearby locality of Mabiango, where additional human and material losses were reported, according to civil and military sources.
The attackers also targeted a health center in Byambwe, and several people remained missing as of Saturday.
The ADF, an Islamic State-linked armed group of Ugandan origin, has intensified assaults on villages in North Kivu and Ituri provinces in recent months, primarily targeting civilians.
According to the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the DRC, the assaults claimed at least 52 lives in North Kivu between Aug. 9 and 16. In late July, around 40 civilians were killed during an attack on a Catholic church in Ituri.
Joint Congolese and Ugandan military operations against the ADF have been underway since November 2021, but the attacks persisted. ■
