Suspected Rebels kill 10 in Eastern Congo – Officials

Persons suspected to be rebels killed 10 people in troubled Eastern Congo, Authorities told dpa on Tuesday.

The attack occurred overnight in the town of Oicha, in North Kivu province, with the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) suspected of carrying out the killings, local administrator Donat Kibwana said.

“The attackers bypassed the army’s positions to attack civilians,’’ he said. “ 10 bodies were retrieved by health workers.’’

Mak Hazukay, a local army spokesman, confirmed the toll and said the military was “adjusting’’ its tactics in the face of the rebels’ attacks.

The ADF was formed in 1995 and is located in a mountainous Congo-Uganda border area.

It is known to use child soldiers and has been made responsible for gross rights violations.

It is one of the numerous rebel groups that are active in Eastern Congo, primarily fighting over the area’s rich mineral resources.

The ADF frequently launches attacks on civilians, but recently has been responsible for attacks on United Nations peacekeepers as well.

In November, suspected ADF militants killed seven UN peacekeepers also in North Kivu.

On December 5, the rebels were accused of killing 12 people in the Eastern Congo, mainly farmers working in their fields.

Eastern Congo is also in the midst of the second-worst Ebola outbreak in history, which has so far seen 498 cases and 167 deaths.

Militia attacks have hindered health workers and complicated the UN’s response to the crisis.

(dpa/NAN)