GOMA – At least seven members of Ugandan Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels were killed on Friday following a clash with Congolese army in the restive eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the army said on Saturday.
The fight took place in Ngadi town near Beni territory, said the region’s army spokesman Captain Mak Hazukay.
“The operation by army against all militias in the region is ongoing. Our main objective is to stop attacks by the militias on innocent civilians,” Capt. Hazukay told this news website on Saturday by phone.
More than 100 militias operate in North Kivu and Ituri Provinces in the eastern Congo, which is currently experiencing Ebola Outbreak.
The insecurity is making the work ofhealth workers quell an Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic of Congo that’s killed 75 people in one month difficult.
Local human rights groups say more than 800 civilians have been killed near Beni by militias including ADF since October 2014, most in overnight raids by rebels carried out with machetes and hatchets.
The ADF was also accused of killing 15 Tanzania peacekeepers in the Beni region in December 2017. Eastern Congo is plagued by dozens of armed militias that attack locals and exploit minerals.
Congo, Africa’s biggest copper producer and the world’s largest source of cobalt, is preparing to hold presidential elections in December this year.