Islamic State-linked rebels in fresh attack in eastern Congo kill 9 villagers

GOMA, Congo (AP) — Islamic State-linked rebels attacked a village in conflict-battered eastern Congo killing at least nine villagers, a local official and residents said Sunday.

The Saturday attack in the village of Ngohi Vuyinga in North Kivu province’s Lubero territory also displaced dozens and several houses burned down, according to Samuel Kagheni, a local civil society leader.

Rebels with the Allied Democratic Forces, an IS affiliate in the region, attacked the villagers with guns and machetes while they were at their farms, Kagheni said.

“Yesterday’s toll could rise because there were even some missing people,” he said.

Eastern Congo has been battered by decades of violence, with more than 100 armed groups vying for control of the region’s rich minerals. Among them are Rwanda-backed rebels who recently captured two major cities in another part of the region. The violence has resulted in about 7 million people being displaced, making it the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.

The latest attack renewed safety concerns among locals who accused the government of not doing enough to stop the conflict.

“The peaceful population is still being killed, but there is no intervention on the government side,” said César Kambale, a youth leader of the nearby Vuyinga village.

“Is our army, the FARDC (Congolese armed forces) really leading offensives against this enemy? … Every day people are attacked, civilians are killed under the helpless eye of our FARDC,” he said.