Makugwe massacre explained

Makugwe massacre
Location:Makugwe, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Date:January 22, 2023
Partof:Kivu conflict
Fatalities:17-24 killed (per Congolese army)
23 killed and 3 missing (per witnesses)
Perpetrator: Islamic State

On 22 January 2023 in Makugwe in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Islamists killed about 20 people.[1]

Background

The Allied Democratic Forces are a Ugandan Islamist group who began an insurgency in 1996. It spread to the DRC and intensified during the 2010s. Their attacks in North Kivu include a massacre in Beni in 2016. During the late 2010s, the group forged close links to the Islamic State. They bombed a church in Kasindi, North Kivu on 15 January 2023.

Attack

On the evening of 22 January 2023, the Allied Democratic Forces killed between 17 and 24 people in Makugwe, a village near Beni, North Kivu, in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[1] The massacre occurred at a bar; the insurgents also looted and set fire to several homes and shops, and kidnapped several people.[1] Provincial deputy Saidi Balikwisha, who was in Makugwe during the attack, claimed the death toll to be 23 and stated at least 3 others were reported missing.[2] [3] On 23 January, Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack.

References

  1. https://voanews.com/a/suspected-islamists-kill-23-in-east-dr-congo-attack/6930078.html Suspected Islamists kill 23 in DRC attack
  2. Web site: Betha . 2023-01-24 . Suspected Islamists loot, torch several homes and kill at least 23 in east DRC attack . 2023-01-24 . African Insider . en-US.
  3. Web site: Nearly 20 people killed in new attack blamed on ADF in eastern DRC . 2023-01-24 . MSN . en-ZA.