DRC: Attacks on UN bases near Beni (North Kivu) Oct. 9

Event

The UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC, MONUSCO, has confirmed that militants attacked two bases in Mamundioma, near the city of Beni (North Kivu), on the morning of Monday, October 9. According to a MONSUCO spokesperson, one peacekeeper was killed and 12 others injured in the attack. An army spokesperson has blamed the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a Ugandan rebel group active along the DRC-Ugandan border, for the attacks.

Authorities have also blamed the ADF for killing 22 people in fighting ongoing since October 6 in the Beni region. Many of the victims were local state officials who were ambushed while traveling from the border city of Nobili to Beni. The military has also said that rebels attacked and took control of three army camps north of Beni on October 7.

Context

Beni has become one of the most violent areas in the DRC. According to the Congo Research Group, a wave of killings - for the most part machete attacks - has resulted in an estimated death toll of over 800 since the current wave of violence began in October 2014; 180,000 people have also been displaced during this period. Most of this violence is blamed on the ADF, which is based in the Beni region. However, while the ADF is accountable for many of the violent attacks, other militia groups and at times even the military themselves are behind the violence. MONUSCO and government forces regularly conduct operations in a bid to neutralize rebel groups in the area, where violent clashes between various rebel groups and government forces, as well as between rival groups, are common.

Advice

Those present in North Kivu are advised to avoid the Beni region and monitor the situation.

For various security reasons, a number of Western governments advise their citizens against travel to much of the country, including North Kivu. Professional security advice should be sought prior to travel.