A local human rights group said an armed group has massacred at least 16 civilians in eastern Congo.
The Study Centre for the Promotion of Peace and Human Rights, CEPADHO, disclosed this on Monday in Beni, Congo.
It said rebels belonging to the Ugandan Islamist group, Allied Democratic Forces, ADF, entered the village of Kambi ya Chui, 70 kilometres north-east of the town of Beni on Sunday, and massacred people between the ages of 16 and 21.
It said in a statement that because Congo’s telephone network does not extend to the village, it became very difficult for the villagers to call for help.
A local army commander, Mbangu Marcel, said he was sending soldiers to the village.
“We are waiting for information and details from the army,” a local official, Bernard Kalonda, said.
The army launched an offensive in January 2014 against the ADF, which was founded in 1995 in Uganda and later moved to Congo.
It has massacred hundreds of civilians in the Beni area in recent years.
Dozens of armed groups seeking control over territory and mineral resources have remained active in eastern Congo since the 1996-2003 Congo wars.
(dpa/NAN)
