Latest news with #MarcElongo
The Sun
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Militia attack kills nine in eastern DR Congo town of Oicha
OICHA: At least nine people died when a militia linked to Islamic State launched an overnight attack in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Allied Democratic Forces targeted civilians in Oicha town, looting shops and burning homes between Saturday night and Sunday morning. Local civil group leader Isaac Kavalami confirmed eight civilians and one police officer died in the assault. An AFP reporter observed nine bodies at Oicha General Hospital's morgue, some bearing stab wounds from the violence. Congolese army spokesman Lieutenant Marc Elongo attributed the attack to 'ADF terrorists' seeking revenge against civilians for military operations in the region. Kavalami revealed civil society representatives had warned security forces about potential attacks beforehand without receiving protection measures. The ADF, originally Ugandan Muslim fighters based near the Ugandan border since the 1990s, has killed thousands despite joint Ugandan-Congolese military efforts. The group formally aligned with Islamic State in 2019 but continues targeting civilians in the conflict-ridden region. – AFP
Express Tribune
3 days ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Nine dead after IS-affiliated militants strike in eastern Congo
The Congolese military is undertaking joint operations with Ugandan forces against the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF). PHOTO: REUTERS An attack by a group affiliated to the so-called Islamic State organisation has killed at least nine people in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, local sources said Sunday. Overnight Saturday to Sunday, the Allied Democratic Forces carried out attacks against civilians in the town of Oicha, looting shops and setting fire to homes, according to accounts collected by AFP on the spot. Based since the mid-1990s in the northeastern DRC, near the Ugandan border, the ADF is a group of mainly Muslim Ugandan fighters who have killed thousands of civilians in the region. During "this incursion, the ADF enemy killed eight civilians and a police officer," Isaac Kavalami, president of a local civil group, told AFP. Read More: Iranian forces kill seven militants in Southeast clash An AFP correspondent on Sunday saw nine bodies at the morgue of Oicha General Hospital, some with stab wounds. Lieutenant Marc Elongo, spokesman for the Congolese army in the region, also blamed "ADF terrorists" for the attack. The ADF were taking revenge on local civilians in retaliation for ongoing military operations in the area, he said in a statement. Kavalami said civil society representatives had alerted security forces about the threat of attacks but no steps had been taken. The ADF pledged allegiance to Islamic State in 2019, and has killed thousands of civilians despite the deployment of the Ugandan and Congolese armies.
