Beni: thirteen civilians killed by Ugandan ADF rebels

Thirteen bodies of civilians were discovered in crop fields on Wednesday in the Bashu chiefdom, Beni territory, in the province of
North Kivu, eastern DRC. According to local sources who provided the information, these 13 civilians were killed by Ugandan ADF (Allied Democratic Forces) rebels. The bodies were buried in the places where they were discovered. Civil society actors as well as local elected officials are urging the Congolese government to further secure all the towns of the Bashu chiefdom which are under recurring threats from armed groups, including the ADF. INFO SOS Médias Burundi

Victims whose bodies were discovered were farmers abducted on November 4 by the ADF. They were in full farming activities in this south-eastern part of the territory of Beni when they were kidnapped.

Our sources reveal that these victims were shot last Sunday in their crop fields.

Residents and the deputy of the Beni territory, Saidi Balikwisha went to the burial sites in the villages of Vuthala, Kivwevwe, Kyadova and Auberge.

Five of those killed persons were residents of the town of Butembo who worked the fields in that neighboring region.

While encouraging armed forces for the efforts they are making to secure the population in the Bashu chiefdom, MP Balikwisha asked the government to “mobilize for the cause of the Beni territory as it does, in the face of the aggression of the M23”. He recommends that soldiers who are on the front line be well equipped and taken care of properly.