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AUC chair Moussa Faki condemns intensifying violence in eastern Congo

African Union Commission chair, Moussa Faki Mahamat, delivers his address during the AfDB Annual Meetings in Nairobi on May 29, 2024. (Photo: X/AfDB)

By Mwangi Maina | Monday, June 17, 2024

Faki expressed his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and the Congolese people as a whole.

The African Union Commission chairperson (AUC), Moussa Faki Mahamat, has strongly condemned the escalating massacres of innocent civilians by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in Beni and Lubero, North Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The recent attacks have resulted in the tragic loss of 150 lives since the beginning of June, with at least 42 people killed in a new assault on Thursday, June 13.

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“The President of the Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, learned with dismay of the multiplication of massacres of innocent civilian populations by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in the territories of Beni and Lubero in the Province of North Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC),” read a statement issued by the AUC.

Faki expressed his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and the Congolese people as a whole.

He urged the Congolese authorities, in collaboration with regional countries, to intensify their efforts to combat the expansion of the terrorist threat in the Great Lakes region.

Volunteers and Congolese security officers dig a shallow grave in search for the bodies of residents killed following an attack by suspected Islamist rebels from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), within Masala village in Beni territory of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo June 9, 2024. REUTERSGradel Muyisa Mumbere

Volunteers and Congolese security officers dig a shallow grave in search of the bodies of residents killed following an attack by suspected Islamist rebels from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), within Masala village in Beni territory of the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on June 9, 2024. (Photo: Reuters/Gradel Muyisa Mumbere)

Moussa also reiterated the African Union's unwavering commitment to supporting the countries of the Great Lakes in their fight against terrorism.

The ADF, a rebel group originating from Uganda, has been responsible for a series of attacks in the eastern DRC, targeting civilians and causing widespread fear and instability in the region.

The international community has also expressed concern over the deteriorating security situation and has called for urgent action to protect civilians and restore peace in the area.

UN peacekeepers have started deploying troops in more areas of the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo to deal with a new wave of violence from various armed groups.

According to the UN, the number of victims continues to rise, particularly as a result of violence perpetrated by armed actors.

In the first five months of this year, more than 470 people were killed in Ituri in violent incidents against civilians in the territories of Djugu, Irumu, and Mambasa, where the ADF and the local armed group Codeco operate.

The ruins of market stalls smoulder following an attack by suspected Islamist rebels from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), within Masala village in Beni territory of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo June 9, 2024. (Reuters)