A Democratic Republic of Congo soldier is seen on patrol in the village of Manzalaho, near Beni, on February 18, 2020, following an alleged attack by members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebel group. File photo / AFP
Kinshasa, Congo: A rebel group has killed at least 11 people in northeastern Congo, a local official said Monday.
According to Isaac Kibira, deputy delegate of the governor in the Central African nation’s northeastern Bwito township, the victims were shot and killed early on Sunday by members of M23, a rebel group the United Nations says has links to neighboring Rwanda. Rwanda denies the accusation.
M23 rose to prominence 10 years ago when its fighters seized Goma, eastern Congo’s largest city, located on the border with Rwanda. It derives its name from a March 23, 2009, peace deal that the group accuses Congo's government of failing to implement.
The attack took place at 3 a.m. Sunday morning following armed confrontations between M23 and local self-defense groups near the village of Bwito, where the bodies of the 11 civilians were found, Kibira said.
The rebel group reportedly retreated into the area, killed residents, burned homes, and stole valuables.
According to local civil society leader Jonas Pandanzi, troops from a regional intergovernmental organization who were deployed in the area did not intervene. The death toll is provisional, he said, as some local residents were missing in the wake of the attack.
"We call on our government to assume its responsibilities and not continue to rely on agreements and declarations (with armed rebels). We need to find other mechanisms to protect the population,” Kibira said.
Conflict has simmered in eastern Congo for decades as more than 120 armed groups fight for control of valuable mineral resources and some to protect their communities. Mass killings by rebel groups are frequent, and the violence has triggered an exodus of refugees.
