DRC: 7 civilians killed in an attack

At least seven civilians were on Thursday killed in an attack in Beni in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, A military source said.

The attack which occurred between Wednesday and Thursday night was carried out by the Ugandan rebels of the Allied Democratic Forces, ADF

According to a representative of the civil-society group in Beni, Gilbert Kambale, the ADF also burned 15 houses while 5 people are missing.

Since October 2014, the territory of Beni have become a centre of several rebel attacks which have caused the death of more than 700 people.

The last massacre dates back to mid-August, according to the United Nations, at least 50 civilians was killed in a night.

The province of North Kivu, has also been torn apart by armed conflict
more than twenty years ago.

The conflicts are fuelled by ethnic and land disputes and competition for the control of mineral resources including rivalries between regional powers.

The rebel group has been accused of killing more than 400 people over the last 10 months.
More than 300 people were killed by ADF-NALU militants last year in and around Beni.

The rebel group, which was founded in Uganda in 1995 and later moved to Congo, is believed to have roughly 400 members and has been accused of committing serious human rights violations, including recruiting children soldiers and rape.