BENI, Congo (AP) — At least nine civilians, including women, were killed in an attack by rebels in Congo’s eastern city of Beni, officials said Thursday. The attack in Beni’s Rwangoma neighborhood is the third such attack in the Beni area this week.
Police and the military have blamed Allied Democratic Forces rebels for the violence.
“These ADF terrorists attacked peaceful populations … killing and kidnapping others,” said Beni’s police chief, Col. Narcisse Muteba. “These rebels used the kidnapped civilians (as shields) to escape the Congolese army. Investigations are underway to find the perpetrators of this crime.”
Some of the victims were killed in their homes while others were taken to the center of the neighborhood before being shot and beaten with machetes or pieces of concrete, the military spokesperson in the region, Lt. Anthony Mwulushayi, said.