The United Nations (UN) peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has revealed that fighters linked to the Islamic State carried out deadly attacks in the eastern part of the country, killing 89 civilians.
The UN peacekeeping mission in the Central African country, also known as MONUSCO, stated this Friday that the attacks were launched by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) between November 13 and 19 in several communities in the province of North Kivu, killing at least 20 women and an unspecified number of children.
MONUSCO reported that one of the attacks targeted a health center run by the Catholic Church in Byambwe, where rebels killed at least 17 people, including women seeking maternity care, and set fire to four rooms used to treat patients.
The mission added that the group also committed other violations, including kidnappings and looting of medical supplies.
“MONUSCO urges the Congolese authorities to quickly launch independent and credible investigations to identify the perpetrators and accomplices of these massacres and bring them to justice,” the statement said.
Local officials previously told Reuters that suspected ADF fighters were responsible for another attack last month that killed 19 civilians in the village of Mukondo, also in North Kivu.
In September, the ADF claimed responsibility for one of its deadliest recent attacks, which left more than 60 civilians dead at a funeral in eastern Congo.
READ ALSO: ‘Christian genocide’: Why the Trump administration will not impose sanctions on Nigeria – Presidency
The ADF originated in Uganda but has operated from the forests of Congo since the late 1990s, and the Islamic State recognizes the group as an affiliate. Despite joint operations by the Congolese army and Ugandan forces, ADF attacks have persisted across the region.
Meanwhile, other areas of North Kivu remain under the control of the M23 rebels, who have made rapid advances this year.
International mediators, including the United States and Qatar, continue their efforts to negotiate a solution to that conflict, and Washington hopes stability will help attract Western investment to Congo’s mining sector.
(Reuters)
READ ALSO TOP STORIES OF Newslodge