34 villagers killed by suspected rebels in DR Congo
Iran Press TV
Sun Dec 7, 2014 1:12PM GMT
At least 34 people have been killed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in an attack by suspected rebels in the country's northeastern region, officials say.
The incident reportedly took place in the village of Ahili, located about 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the town of Oicha in the northeastern city of Beni on Saturday.
The head of the nearby town of Eringeti's administrative supervision post, Alexis Katsurana Wakwima, said the assailants attacked the villagers with axes, machetes, and knives while they were working in their fields.
The attack comes despite vows by the government and the United Nations (UN) to prevent such incidents from taking place near the city of Beni.
Recently, residents, including women and children, have been targeted in nighttime attacks.
Local civil society groups say that more than 250 people have been killed in the area in similar violence since October.
Last month, the Civil Society of North Kivu, a non-governmental organization based in Beni, alleged that Ugandan rebels of the Allied Democratic Forces and National Army for the Liberation of Uganda (ADF-Nalu) had carried out a deadly attack in the city.
Authorities say the ADF-Nalu militant group, which has been present in the country since its members were kicked out of Uganda in 1995, is the only militant group active in the region.
Believed to number around 400, the rebels have been accused of committing serious human rights violations, including using child soldiers and rape.
The Congo has faced numerous problems over the past few decades, such as poverty, crumbling infrastructure, and a war in the east of the country that has dragged on since 1998 and left over 5.5 million people dead.
SZH/HJL/KA
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