The African Union on Monday strongly decried the ‘massacres’ that have taken the lives of 150 people in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo during June.
The African Union Commission chief, Mousa Faki Mahamat, expressed “dismay” over the rising number of civilian killings perpetrated by the Allied Democratic Forces in the Beni and Lubero areas of North Kivu province.
In his statement, Mahamat “strongly condemns these attacks,” which have led to the deaths of 150 people since early June.
He urged “Congolese authorities, in collaboration with the countries of the region, to intensify their efforts to curb the spread of the terrorist threat in the Great Lakes region.” He also reaffirmed the African Union’s “ongoing commitment to the countries of the Great Lakes region in their fight against terrorism.”
The ADF, originally from Uganda, has been active in eastern DR Congo for decades and aligned itself with the Islamic State group in 2019, with the latter branding the ADF as its central African branch.
Despite joint operations by Congolese and Ugandan forces against the ADF in North Kivu and Ituri provinces since late 2021, they have not yet managed to halt the brutal attacks on civilians.
Eastern DR Congo has long suffered from violence inflicted by numerous armed groups.
