KINSHASA, May 7 (Xinhua) -- At least 12 civilians were killed Thursday in a fresh attack attributed to the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), local sources said.
According to local sources and media reports, suspected ADF fighters launched an incursion around midday into the town of Biakato in Mambasa territory of Ituri Province. Search operations were still ongoing in the affected area to locate possible additional victims, with several people reported missing following the attack.
The attack triggered panic in Biakato, local media reported, as hundreds of residents, including women and children, fled the area throughout the day for fear of further violence.
Gilbert Sivamwenda, a lawmaker of the Ituri Provincial Assembly, said the security situation remains worrying in this part of the province, which is frequently targeted by armed groups.
The latest attack came less than 48 hours after another assault blamed on the same rebel group in the neighboring territory of Beni in North Kivu Province, where around 20 civilians were killed, mainly with machetes and gunfire, according to local sources.
The ADF, an affiliate of the Islamic State in Central Africa, is a Ugandan rebel group operating in eastern DRC. Its continued activity has prompted joint military operations by Congolese and Ugandan forces since November 2021 to track and neutralize the group. ■