More than 70 killed by suspected rebels in eastern DR Congo in September

At least 77 civilians were killed by suspected Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels in villages in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ituri province last month, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Saturday.

In a report, OCHA said the killings took place in a series of deadly attacks in Mambasa territory.

The most affected areas were Biakato, Bandisende and the outskirts of Mambasa center where civilians were killed with knives and bullets.

The rebels are also said to have kidnapped several other people and burnt residential houses as they fled.

Several areas of Mambasa territory face persistent insecurity, marked by attacks on civilians and population displacement, according to civil society groups and local media.

This week at least 10 civilians were reported to have been killed in an attack attributed to ADF fighters on several mining sites in the Babila-Babombi chiefdom, in Mambasa territory, local media said.

The attacks haveled to worsening humanitarian needs in a province already severely affected by the Ebola epidemic.

The ADF is affiliated with the ISIS (Daesh) militant organization and has been active in eastern Congo for several years.