Congolese troops kill 6 ADF rebels in eastern DRC

Six Ugandan rebels of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) and a Congolese soldier were killed on Monday in the Beni region of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), after Congolese forces clashed with the rebels.

Spokesperson of Operation Sokola 1, Lieutenant Mak Hazukay confirmed the reports, adding that two soldiers were also seriously injured in the clash. Sokola 1 is DRC’s military mission established to fight the rebels.

The clash took place in Kokola in the troubled far North Kivu province.

#DRC troops kill 6 Ugandan #ADF rebels in Beni via achebe54 https://t.co/UnnMNUE7kK

— Louis Jadwong (Jadwong) June 13, 2016

Rebels have been fighting in eastern DRC since 1995. The ADF rebels are opposed to Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who has been in power since 1986.

The UN Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) and the Congolese government have stepped up to respond to a series of massacres that have claimed over 600 civilian lives in the Beni area since October 2014.

The North Kivu province is torn for over twenty years by armed conflicts fueled by ethnic and land disputes, competition for control of mineral resources and rivalries between regional powers.

AFP