An attack attributed to militants affiliated with the Islamic State group wreaked havoc in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, resulting in multiple casualties, reportedly including the tragic demise of five members within the confines of a church, as per local sources who divulged the details on Wednesday.
The insurgent incursion unfolded during the late hours of Tuesday within Baeti, situated proximate to the town of Oicha in the territorial jurisdiction of Beni.
“Eight deceased civilians, victims of the ADF’s brutality, have been transported to the mortuary at Oicha hospital,” disclosed Nicolas Kikuku, the mayor of the town, in conversation with AFP.
Among the deceased were five adherents of the Christian faith, their lives tragically cut short “while engaged in fervent worship” in Baeti.
Baeti finds itself nestled in North Kivu province, adjacent to the border with Ituri province, both of which found themselves subjected to a so-called state of siege in 2021.
This drastic measure entails the replacement of civilian authorities with personnel from law enforcement and the armed forces, a strategic maneuver aimed at combatting the proliferation of armed groups.
Darius Syahira, a representative of the local civil society, corroborated the occurrence of the assault, alluding to the presence of “lifeless forms” within the confines of the mortuary, although refraining from furnishing an exact tally.
The Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), historically rooted as a coalition of predominantly Ugandan Muslim rebels, first established its foothold in eastern DRC back in 1995.
Emerging as one of the most formidable and lethal militias within the region besieged by strife, the ADF declared its allegiance to the Islamic State organization in 2019.
December bore witness to the ADF’s alleged involvement in two assaults in western Uganda, claiming the lives of 13 villagers.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, following a period of relative tranquility, the nefarious activities attributed to the ADF resurged towards the latter part of January, specifically within the confines of Beni territory, where five civilians met their untimely demise.
