The Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) group killed 57 civilians in displacement camps in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on May 31, according to the United Nations, which condemned the gun and machete attacks.
The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, claimed the ADF's murderous assault in the eastern Ituri region had caused 5,800 people to evacuate numerous relocation sites after the ADF was driven out of neighboring Uganda in the late 1990s.
“On May 31, the ADF targeted displacement sites and villages surrounding the cities of Boga and Tchabi, murdering 57 civilians, including seven children, who were shot and macheted,” UNHCR spokesperson Babar Baloch told reporters in Geneva.
“Others were injured, and 25 people were kidnapped, while more than 70 shelters and establishments were set ablaze.
“Only 31 women, children, and men were slaughtered in Boga town alone. Many of their relatives were burned alive in their homes, according to bereaved family members who spoke to UNHCR partners,” Baloch said.
He continued, "UNHCR is shocked by this latest in a series of crimes perpetrated by armed groups in eastern DRC."
Security in the region must be stepped up immediately, according to the agency, to safeguard citizens, many of whom have been attacked and forced to escape many times.
The ADF is the most lethal of a slew of armed factions roaming the mineral-rich eastern DRC.
It's a Ugandan armed group that's been hiding out in eastern DRC since 1995. The US claimed in March that the ADF was tied to ISIL (ISIS).
Thousands of people had left Boga to other adjacent sites, according to Baloch, with "absolutely nothing but the clothing they were wearing."
While most were accepted by poorer host families, he stated that others were sleeping in the open and others were seeking safety in already congested churches.
Baloch went on to say that one of UNHCR's humanitarian partners had their offices robbed, leaving people without relief.
According to the UNHCR, insecurity, and violence have displaced more than five million people in the DRC, including 1.7 million in Ituri alone.
Only 18% of the $204.8 million financial appeals for DRC in 2021 has been financed, according to the agency.
In the wake of mounting rebel attacks, the Democratic Republic of Congo said on Thursday that it will prolong martial law in the restive region for another 15 days. This comes a month after civilian authorities in North Kivu and Ituri provinces were replaced with military administrations.
To try to stop the violence, the authorities declared a state of siege on May 6.
Since the official end of the civil war in 2003, violence has been endemic in the DRC's mineral-rich eastern areas, but instability has risen dramatically in the last two years.
