CONGOLESE ASKED TO REMAIN INDOOR SUSPECTED ISLAMIST ATTACK LEAVE FORTY-ONE DEAD
The death toll in an attack by suspected Islamist rebels Friday night on villages in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has risen to forty-one.
A spokesperson for the Congolese army in Beni and a civil society leader on Sunday said following the attack, members of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo led by Lieutenant-Colonel Mak Hazukay went on a foot patrol on Sunday.
Their mission was to urge villagers to remain in their homes and not flee despite the recent surge in violence.
Hazukay said the attack had been carried out by members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), which originates from neighbouring Uganda and is alleged to be behind another assault that killed at least 16 people earlier this week.
The ADF, which is now based in eastern Congo, has pledged allegiance to Islamic State and mounts frequent attacks, further destabilising a region where many militant groups are active.
Reports say armed men used guns and machetes to attack residents of villages in Beni territory, in North Kivu province, overnight on Friday.
