The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, has condemned the multiplication of massacres of innocent civilian populations by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in the territories of Béni and Lubéro in the North Kivu Province in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
“The President of the Commission strongly condemns these attacks which have cost the lives of 150 people since the beginning of June, including at least 42 in a new attack on Thursday, June 13, 2024,” said AU in a statement.
“He presents his sincere condolences to the families of the victims as well as to the Congolese people as a whole.”
At least 42 people were killed by ADF rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s North Kivu province in the village of Mayikengo in Lubero territory.
The assailants asked residents to gather in a market for a meeting and then attacked the crowd with firearms and machetes, Sivikunula said.
In his statement, Faki encouraged the Congolese authorities, in collaboration with the countries of the region, to intensify their efforts to curb the expansion of the terrorist threat in the Great Lakes region.
“The President of the Commission reaffirms the continued commitment of the African Union to the countries of the Great Lakes in their fight against the phenomenon of terrorism.”