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Rebels linked to the Islamic State have killed 89 civilians in multiple attacks in Lubero territory in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the central African country, known as MONUSCO, said Friday.
The attacks were carried out by Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) fighters in several locations in North Kivu province between November 13 and 19, and among the 89 killed were at least 20 women and an unknown number of children, MONUSCO said in a statement.
In one of these attacks, rebels attacked a health center run by the Catholic Church in Byambwe, killing at least 17 people, including women who had gone there to receive maternity care, and burning down four rooms housing patients.
Other violations committed by rebels include kidnappings and looting of medical supplies, the statement said.
“MONUSCO urges the Congolese authorities to quickly open independent and credible investigations to identify the perpetrators and accomplices of these massacres and bring them to justice,” the statement said.
Local officials told Reuters last month that suspected ADF rebels killed 19 civilians in an overnight attack in the village of Mukondo in North Kivu province.
In September, the ADF claimed responsibility for one of its deadliest attacks in recent months, which left more than 60 civilians dead at funerals in eastern Congo.
The ADF began as a rebel force in Uganda but has been based in the forests of neighboring Congo since the late 1990s and is recognized by Islamic State as an affiliate.
The Congolese army and Ugandan forces have continued their operations against the ADF, but the group’s attacks continue.
Other parts of North Kivu province are under the control of Rwandan-backed M23 rebels, who have made a lightning advance this year.
Mediators, including the United States and Qatar, are trying to broker peace in the conflict, which Washington hopes will facilitate Western investment in the mining sector.
