Democratic Republic of Congo at least 50 killed in attacks on two DR Congo villages News

The DRC army blamed the attack on the ADF, but other sources say the attacks may be of ethnic origin.

At least 50 people have been killed in two attacks overnight in two attacks in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a military official and monitors have said.

A local official has blamed the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) linked to the ISIL (ISIS) group. Military spokesman Jules Ngongo told the dpa news agency that ADF fighters have attacked the villages of Boga and Tchabi in the eastern Ituri region.

The two villages are located on the border between North Kivu and Ituri provinces, in an area where the ADF is allegedly active.

Other sources say the attacks may be of ethnic origin.

A community leader said children and the elderly were among the victims.

The DRC army gave a slightly higher provisional toll 53 after a meeting of security forces took place in Bunian, the capital of Ituri province.

Gracien Iracan, a local parliamentarian, said at least 60 people had been killed.

“Seven trucks arrived to remove the victims – it’s a dramatic situation,” Iraq told the AFP news agency. “The bodies are still being found, so the toll is likely to grow. Many of the wounded are still hidden in the bushes.”

‘Targeted’ attack

The Iraqi lawmaker said: “A large number of attackers appeared, the attack was well targeted, two local leaders were killed … we cannot rule out that they were fixing the score.”

Two local officials in Boga told AFP that the attackers had attacked a camp for the displaced. They said they have so far found 36 bodies in Bogan, a figure that is yet to be independently confirmed.

These officials also warned of ethnic conflicts in the region, which immediately blamed the ADF.

Suspicions that the violence was ethnically motivated led to the conclusion that the Bogako IDP camps mostly housed Nyali IDPs – but a site in the area where Banyabwisha gathered people was saved.

Behind the attacks on the two peoples “we believe it was the same group,” the head of the Nyali community in Tchabi told AFP by phone.