On the night on June 5, 2022, militants from Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) attacked the village of Bwanasura, in Otomabere, North Kivu, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The attack killed over twenty civilians, marking one of the deadliest attacks by the ADF in 2022.[2]
| Otomabere attack | |
|---|---|
| Part of Allied Democratic Forces insurgency, Kivu conflict | |
| Location | Bwanasura, Otomabere, Irumu Territory, Nord-Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Date | June 5, 2022 |
| Deaths | 36 (per Red Cross)[1] |
| Perpetrator |  Allied Democratic Forces (alleged by locals and Congolese government) |
Background
editThe Allied Democratic Forces, or ADF, are a jihadist militant group from Uganda that moved to the forests of the DRC's North Kivu region in the late 1990s, launching a brutal insurgency.[3] In 2019, the group allied with the Islamic State, in particular the Central African branch.[4] Since then, attacks on civilians by the ADF have increased throughout the 2020s, with attacks in the weeks prior to the Otomabere attack killing at least 43 people.[5][6]
Attack
editThe attack began on the night of June 5, 2022, in the village of Bwanasura near Otomabere.[7] The ADF arrived at around 8 pm local time, "operating quietly" according to the local head of the Red Cross.[6] Local survivors stated that the ADF fired gunshots, causing everyone to flee the area.[2] In the attack, ADF fighters burned down at least 30 houses.[8] Thirteen civilian motorcycles were destroyed in the attack.[9] At some point in the night, the ADF fighters fled.
Aftermath
editThe initial death toll after the attacks was eighteen, following the return of residents counting the bodies the next morning.[10] Many of the dead were stabbed or shot to death.[2] Later that day, the head of the local group Convention for the Respect of Human Rights stated the provisional death toll was 20.[11]
The Red Cross stated that 36 bodies were found in the forests near Bwanasura in the following days.[12] An official in Irumu territory stated that the victims were from several villages around Otomabere, including three from Mayimoya, four from Eringeti, and an unknown number of others from Oicha, the capital of Beni Territory.[13]
In response to the attack, the Congolese army claimed they were "in pursuit of the assailants."[12]
References
edit- ^ "Deadly DRC Encounters". 6 June 2022.
- ^ a b c "Over 18 people dead in rebel attack in eastern DR Congo". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
- ^ "Increasingly Brutal Attacks On Civilians By Islamist Rebels Take Toll On Mental Health In DR Congo - Health Policy Watch". 2023-02-22. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
- ^ "ADF renews pledge of allegiance to new Islamic State leader | FDD's Long War Journal". www.longwarjournal.org. 2022-04-06. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
- ^ "Country Reports on Terrorism 2019: Democratic Republic of the Congo". United States Department of State Bureau of Counterterrorism. 2019. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
- ^ a b AfricaNews (2022-06-06). "At least 20 dead in new DR Congo massacre". Africanews. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
- ^ AFP, Staff Writer With (2022-06-07). "At Least 20 Dead in New DR Congo Massacre". The Defense Post. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
- ^ "DRC: At least 16 people were killed in a militant attack in Ituri Province June 5". DRC: At least 16 people were killed in a militant attack in Ituri Province June 5 | Crisis24. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
- ^ "Civilians killed in rebel attack in eastern DRC - Vatican News". www.vaticannews.va. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
- ^ "Suspected Islamists kill at least 18 in east Congo attack". euronews. 2022-06-07. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
- ^ "Suspected Islamists kill at least 18 in east Congo attack". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. 2022-06-06. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
- ^ a b "Deadly DRC Encounters". VOA. 6 June 2022. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
- ^ "14 civilians killed in suspected ADF attack in Dem. Rep. of Congo". www.aa.com.tr. Retrieved 2023-02-23.