The World Today
MADRID, 19 (EUROPA PRESS)
At least 52 civilians have died in just one week in North Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) – controlled for months by the March 23 Movement (M23) militia – as a result of attacks by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), linked to the jihadist group Islamic State.
This was reported on Monday by the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) in a statement, which specified that the dead include eight women and two minors, and warned that the death toll could rise.
The organization condemned these events, which took place between August 9 and 16 in various towns in Beni and Lubero, in the aforementioned province. The militants also carried out kidnappings, looting, the burning of homes and vehicles, and the destruction of property, further complicating the situation for civilians.
MONUSCO chief Bintou Keita has stated that these actions are "intolerable and constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law," while conveying her "most sincere condolences" to the affected families and populations.
Characterized by extreme brutality, the ADF attacked the municipality of Oichi, also in North Kivu, last Sunday, leaving at least nine dead, three of them burned alive.
