More than 40 killed in rebel attack in northeast Congo
The ADF, which pledged allegiance to Islamic State in 2019, raided a Catholic church in the town of Komanda where worshippers were gathered for prayer, residents told Agence France-Presse by telephone from Bunia, capital of Ituri province.
The attack killed 43 people including nine children, according to the UN peacekeeping mission in the country.
"These targeted attacks on defenseless civilians, especially in places of worship, are not only revolting but also contrary to all norms of human rights and international humanitarian law," said Vivian van de Perre, deputy chief of the peacekeeping mission.
The Congolese Army denounced the "large-scale massacre," adding that "around forty civilians were surprised and killed with machetes and several others were seriously injured."
It said the ADF had decided to take "revenge on defenseless peaceful populations to spread terror."
Local sources had reported an earlier death toll of at least 35.
Lieutenant Jules Ngongo, army spokesman in Ituri, did not comment on the toll but confirmed the attack to AFP, saying "the enemy is believed to have been identified among ADF" rebels.
The bloodshed comes after months of calm in the region of Ituri, bordering Uganda.
The last major attack by the ADF was in February, leaving 23 dead in Mambasa territory.
The town of Komanda in Irumu territory is a commercial hub linking three other provinces -- Tshopo, North Kivu, and Maniema. The ADF, originally Ugandan rebels who are predominantly Muslim, have killed thousands of civilians and ramped up looting and killing in northeastern Congo despite the deployment of the Ugandan army alongside Congolese armed forces in the area.
At the end of 2021, Kampala and Kinshasa launched a joint military operation against the ADF, dubbed "Shujaa," which has so far been unable to dislodge the group.
The Congolese army promised to continue tracking the ADF and called on the population "to remain extra vigilant and report any suspicious presence to the defense and security forces."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Korea Herald
an hour ago
- Korea Herald
Trump says likely to meet Putin 'very soon'
WASHINGTON (AFP) -- Donald Trump said Wednesday he could meet with Vladimir Putin "very soon," following what the US president described as highly productive talks in Moscow between his special envoy and the Russian leader. The potential summit was discussed in a call between Trump and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy that, according to a senior source in Kyiv, included NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and the leaders of Britain, Germany and Finland. "There's a good chance that there will be a meeting very soon," Trump told reporters at the White House, when asked when he would meet the Ukrainian and Russian leaders. He gave no indication where the meeting with Putin might take place. It would be the first US-Russia leadership summit since former president Joe Biden met with his counterpart in Geneva in June 2021. The New York Times and CNN, citing people familiar with the plan, said Trump plans to sit down with Putin as early as next week, and then wants a three-way meeting with the Russian leader and Zelenskyy. Trump's phone call with Zelenskyy came after US envoy Steve Witkoff met Russian leadership in Moscow earlier in the day for talks described by the Kremlin as "productive" -- with Trump's deadline looming to impose fresh sanctions over Russia's war in Ukraine. "Great progress was made!" Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, adding that afterward he had briefed some European allies. "Everyone agrees this War must come to a close, and we will work towards that in the days and weeks to come," he said. Minutes later, however, a senior US official said that "secondary sanctions" were still expected to be implemented in two days' time. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Witkoff was returning with a ceasefire proposal from Moscow that would have to be discussed with Ukraine and Washington's European allies. He also cast caution on the timeline for a Trump-Putin meeting, saying there was "a lot of work ahead," adding it could be "weeks maybe." Trump, who had boasted he could end the conflict within 24 hours of taking office, has given Russia until Friday to make progress towards peace or face new penalties. Three rounds of Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul have failed to make headway on a ceasefire, with the two sides far apart in their demands. Russia has escalated drone and missile attacks against its neighbor, a US and European Union ally, to a record high and accelerated its advance on the ground. "A quite useful and constructive conversation took place," Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov told journalists, including Agence France-Presse, after the three-hour meeting with Witkoff. The two men exchanged "signals" on their positions, Ushakov said, without elaborating. Zelenskyy confirmed his call with Trump and confirmed European leaders had taken part, although he did not name them. Trump has voiced increasing frustration with Putin in recent weeks over Russia's unrelenting offensive. The White House has not officially outlined what action it would take against Russia, but Trump told reporters it plans to impose "a lot more secondary sanctions" targeting Russia's key trade partners, possibly targeting China. Earlier in the day he had ordered steeper tariffs on Indian goods over New Delhi's continued purchase of Russian oil. Without explicitly naming Trump, the Kremlin on Tuesday slammed "threats" to hike tariffs on Russia's trading partners as "illegitimate." Russia's campaign against Ukraine since February 2022 has killed tens of thousands of people, destroyed swaths of the country and forced millions to flee their homes. Moscow has demanded that Ukraine cede more territory and renounce US and EU support if it wants the fighting to stop. Kyiv is calling for an immediate ceasefire, and Zelenskyy last week urged his allies to push for "regime change" in Moscow. The Witkoff visit came as Moscow-Washington tensions are running high. Trump said he had ordered two nuclear submarines to be moved following an online row with former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, and that they were now "in the region." Moscow then said that it was ending a self-imposed moratorium on nuclear-capable intermediate-range missiles, suggesting that it could deploy such weapons in response to what it alleged were similar US deployments within striking distance of Russia. Ukrainian emergency services reported on Wednesday that at least two people were killed and 12 others wounded in Russian shelling of a holiday camp in the southern Zaporizhzhia region.
Korea Herald
an hour ago
- Korea Herald
300 migrants start walk north from southern Mexico
TAPACHULA, Mexico (AP) — Escorted by police and accompanied by a Catholic priest, about 300 migrants began walking north on Wednesday from southern Mexico, even as the activist who helped organize them remained in police custody over allegations of human trafficking. On Tuesday, authorities arrested Luis Garcia Villagran, the leader of a local nongovernmental organization in the city of Tapachula, in the state of Chiapas, for alleged crimes related to his work with migrants. Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum said during her daily news briefing on Wednesday that he was 'not an activist' but was tied to trafficking people — and 'that is the crime.' Sheinbaum said there had been an arrest order pending for Garcia Villagran for years. It was not known why the outspoken and very public figure had not been arrested earlier. Later Wednesday, Mexican authorities said in a statement that investigators had identified a network of migrant smugglers that used various organizations and foundations as a front to move migrants and drugs through Mexico. They did not provide any details. The joint statement from the Attorney General's Office and security forces said Garcia Villagran's alleged role was obtaining false documentation for migrants to allow them to cross Mexico. The group of migrants that left Tapachula, near the border with Guatemala, was small in comparison to migrant caravans in years past. There has been very little movement of migrants in public since US President Donald Trump took office in January, though migration numbers had been falling even prior to that. Those walking Wednesday said their goal was not to reach the US, but rather central Mexico. They complained that they had been waiting for months to legalize their status or receive asylum. In recent years, the Mexican government has worked to contain migrants in southern Mexico — far from the border with the US. At times, this strategy has swollen migrant numbers in Tapachula until hundreds set out walking in protest. Chiapas is Mexico's poorest state and migrants complain there is little work or available housing. On Wednesday, Johnny Lopez of Ecuador walked with his wife and three children, including a baby born in Tapachula. They had waited in the southern city for the outcome of their asylum application, which was eventually rejected. Now they planned to travel to Mexico City, where Lopez hopes to find work to support his family. The migrants were escorted by immigration agents, police, marines and paramedics. Heyman Vazquez, a Catholic priest who accompanied the migrants, called Garcia Villagran's arrest 'unjust.' Vazquez said it showed the Mexican government's concern over migrant caravans, which he said would be resolved by making it easier for migrants to legalize their status.
Korea Herald
an hour ago
- Korea Herald
Apple to invest additional $100b in domestic manufacturing
WASHINGTON (AFP) -- Apple will invest an additional $100 billion in the United States, taking its total pledge to $600 billion over the next four years, US President Donald Trump said Wednesday. Trump announced the increased commitment at the White House alongside the tech giant's CEO Tim Cook, calling it "the largest investment Apple has made in America." "Apple will massively increase spending on its domestic supply chain," Trump added, highlighting a new production facility for the glass used to make iPhone screens in Kentucky. In February, Apple said it would spend more than $500 billion in the United States and hire 20,000 people, with Trump quickly taking credit for the decision. It builds on plans announced in 2021, when the company founded by Steve Jobs said it would invest $430 billion in the country and add 20,000 jobs over the next five years. "This year alone, American manufacturers are on track to make 19 billion chips for Apple in 24 factories across 12 different states," Cook said in the Oval Office. Trump, who has pushed US companies to shift manufacturing home by slapping tariffs on trading partners, claimed that his administration was to thank for the investment. "This is a significant step toward the ultimate goal of ... ensuring that iPhones sold in the United States of America also are made in America," Trump said. Cook later clarified that, while many iPhone components will be manufactured in the United States, the complete assembly of iPhones will still be conducted overseas. "If you look at the bulk of it, we're doing a lot of the semiconductors here, we're doing the glass here, we're doing the Face ID module here ... and we're doing these for products sold elsewhere in the world," Cook said. Trump has repeatedly said he plans to impose a "100 percent" tariff on imported semiconductors, a major export of Taiwan, South Korea, China and Japan. "We're going to be putting a very large tariff on chips and semiconductors," he told reporters Wednesday at the White House. While he did not offer a timetable for enactment of the new tech levies, on Tuesday he said fresh tariffs on imported pharmaceuticals and semiconductors and chips could be unveiled within the coming week. The US is "going to be very rich and it's companies like Apple, they're coming home," Trump said. Trump specified further that "Apple will help develop and manufacture semiconductors and semiconductor equipment in Texas, Utah, Arizona and New York." He noted that if tech companies commit to manufacturing their wares in the US, "there will be no charge." Apple reported a quarterly profit of $23.4 billion in late July, topping forecasts despite facing higher costs due to Trump's sweeping levies. The tariffs are essentially a tax paid by companies importing goods to the United States. This means Apple is on the hook for tariffs on iPhones and other products or components it brings into the country from abroad.
