Increase in rebel attacks triggers deadly protests in eastern Congo

By Yassin Kombi

BUTEMBO, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) – At least four people have been killed in unrest in North Kivu province in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, local officials said on Saturday, after people took to the streets to protest against a rise in deadly attacks by suspected Islamist rebels.

The Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a rebel group close to the Islamic State, are said to have killed more than 40 people in an attack on the village of Mayikengo this week, and more than 80 in attacks on other villages in the province the week before.

The insecurity has fuelled frustration among the population and led to the murder of two soldiers in the Lubero area, who were set on fire by a mob on Friday night, said Lubero military administrator Alain Kiwewa.

Unrest in Lubero continued into Saturday, with some residents erecting makeshift barricades, leading to a standoff with security forces, human rights activist Fabrice Rumia said by telephone.

A civilian and an agent of the national intelligence service ANR were killed in the clashes, said local official Julio Mabanga.

Similar protests took place in the city of Butembo on Saturday, with hundreds of youths taking to the streets with sticks and denouncing widespread insecurity by chanting and singing songs, according to a Reuters reporter.

“I am standing here at this roundabout and blocking the road. Our condolences go out to our compatriots who were killed,” said Daniel Sivanzire Paluku, one of the protesters. He said they had to block the roads to control who was coming and going.

The ADF originally come from neighboring Uganda, but are now stationed in resource-rich eastern Congo. They have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State and regularly carry out attacks, thereby contributing to the further destabilization of a region in which many militant groups compete for influence and resources.

It was not possible to reach the ADF for comment on the attacks.

The U.S.-based SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks militant websites, said on Friday that Islamic State had released communiqués from its so-called Central Africa Province division claiming responsibility for killing 51 people in attacks in North Kivu this week. The group also claimed to have beheaded over 60 people in a single attack in the province on June 7.

(Additional reporting by Ange Aboa, Erikas Mwisi Kambale and Fiston Mahamba; Writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Mark Potter)