Eighteen people in eastern DR Congo's troubled region of Beni have been killed in a fresh attack by a notorious armed group, a local official said on Monday.

"There was an incursion in Apetina-Sana by the ADF last night," Beni administrator Donat Kibwana told AFP, referring to the Allied Democratic Forces militia.&nbsp;

"(They) hacked 18 civilians to death."

Apetina-Sana is 16 kilometres (10 miles) west of Oicha, the chief administrative town in the Beni region.

It is a point on the so-called Death Triangle, along with Mbau and Eringeti -- the worst-hit area for attacks.

ADF fighters have killed more than 200 people since the army launched an offensive against the militia on October 30, according to a toll compiled by civil society groups.

The toll has sparked anger over the authorities' response.

"The authorities were tipped off on Sunday evening about the presence of suspicious men west of Oicha," said Teddy Kataliko, a civil society activist in Beni.

"We continue to ask the DRC armed forces to launch operations on the western side as well, to save civilians."

There have also been demonstrations in the city of Beni, where local people accuse the UN peacekeeping force MONUSCO of failing to protect them.

The ADF began as an Islamist rebellion hostile to Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni.&nbsp;

It fell back into eastern DRC in 1995 and appears to have halted raids inside Uganda. Its recruits today are people of various nationalities.

In a separate incident in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Monday, "armed bandits" attacked a base used by a Chinese-owned gold mine, killing four people, the military said.

The raid happened in Irumu district in the northeastern province of Ituri, said Lieutenant Jules Ngongo, the army's provincial spokesman.

Two soldiers, a policeman and a driver for the mine were killed, he said.

"The assailants have not been completely identified but they must be armed bandits who look for supplies during the year-end festivities," Ngongo said.

Eighteen people in eastern DR Congo's troubled region of Beni have been killed in a fresh attack by a notorious armed group, a local official said on Monday. "There was an incursion in Apetina-Sana by the ADF last night," Beni administrator Donat Kibwana told AFP, referring to the Allied Democratic Forces militia.

Eighteen people in eastern DR Congo's troubled region of Beni have been killed in a fresh attack by a notorious armed group, a local official said on Monday. "There was an incursion in Apetina-Sana by the ADF last night," Beni administrator Donat Kibwana told AFP, referring to the Allied Democratic Forces militia. "(They) hacked 18 civilians to death." Apetina-Sana is 16 kilometres (10 miles) west of Oicha, the chief administrative town in the Beni region. It is a point on the so-called Death Triangle, along with Mbau and Eringeti -- the worst-hit area for attacks. ADF fighters have killed more than 200 people since the army launched an offensive against the militia on October 30, according to a toll compiled by civil society groups. The toll has sparked anger over the authorities' response. "The authorities were tipped off on Sunday evening about the presence of suspicious men west of Oicha," said Teddy Kataliko, a civil society activist in Beni. "We continue to ask the DRC armed forces to launch operations on the western side as well, to save civilians." There have also been demonstrations in the city of Beni, where local people accuse the UN peacekeeping force MONUSCO of failing to protect them. The ADF began as an Islamist rebellion hostile to Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni. It fell back into eastern DRC in 1995 and appears to have halted raids inside Uganda. Its recruits today are people of various nationalities. In a separate incident in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Monday, "armed bandits" attacked a base used by a Chinese-owned gold mine, killing four people, the military said. The raid happened in Irumu district in the northeastern province of Ituri, said Lieutenant Jules Ngongo, the army's provincial spokesman. Two soldiers, a policeman and a driver for the mine were killed, he said. "The assailants have not been completely identified but they must be armed bandits who look for supplies during the year-end festivities," Ngongo said.

Eighteen killed in new militia attack in eastern DR Congo

U.N. peacekeepers should progressively withdraw from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/first-shipment-of-new-ebola-vaccine-arrives-in-dr-congo-259539">DR&nbsp;Congo</a>&nbsp;by the end of 2022 at the earliest, a strategic review said Wednesday, in the first tentative timeline to exit a country grappling with militia violence and Ebola.

The report comes as 10 civilians were killed in an attack in the eastern&nbsp;Democratic Republic of&nbsp;Congo&nbsp;blamed on an Islamist-rooted armed group based in Uganda, as the army launches a sweeping offensive against militancy that has plagued the troubled region for nearly a quarter of a century.

The United Nations's MONUSCO mission to the country,&nbsp;one of its biggest deployments encompassing some 16,000 peacekeepers,&nbsp;began two decades ago and has an annual budget of over $1 billion.&nbsp;

Its latest mandate comes to an end on December 31 and the decision to renew is made the&nbsp;U.N. Security Council.&nbsp;

A review for the Council said that the "timeline for an exit of MONUSCO should be an absolute minimum of three years", in an assessment of the&nbsp;U.N. presence in the country in the wake of the election of new President Felix Tshisekedi.

"With a departure at the end of 2022, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/united-nations-chief-urges-myanmar-to-ensure-safe-return-of-rohingya-259659">U.N.</a> would be in a better position to ensure a responsible transition, if the reforms announced by the new authorities remain on track and the conditions for the best-case scenario materialise," the report said.&nbsp;

It noted, however, that there should be "red lines" that would cause the withdrawal to be paused and suggested a political mission to help "prevent a resurgence of conflict".&nbsp;

During a visit to eastern Beni in September,&nbsp;U.N. chief Antonio Guterres stressed his support for extending MONUSCO's mandate beyond the year-end and said a strategic review would help make the mission "more useful still to the Congolese people" in terms of security but also politically.

"We will do everything to bring an end to the scourge of insecurity," he said.

The&nbsp;DR&nbsp;Congo&nbsp;army announced last week that it had launched "large-scale operations" against armed militias in the country's troubled east.

In the most recent violence, members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) crossed the border from Uganda late on Tuesday and "killed 10 civilians, some with knives and others with firearms," in the locality of Kokola, Donat Kibwana, a local administrator in the restive Beni region, told AFP.

An army spokesman in the region, Major Mak Hazukay, said the ADF were "cornered" by army fire.

"That's why they try to cause terror among the population," he told AFP, declining to give a casualty toll for Tuesday's attack.

The impoverished central African country has been wracked by conflict near its eastern border, with many of the militias have evolved from the two&nbsp;Congo&nbsp;wars (1996-1997 and 1998-2003).

The Islamist-rooted ADF, which arose in western Uganda in 1995, has targeted Beni, killing hundreds of civilians over the last five years.

But there are also home-grown militia and other armed groups,&nbsp;some 130 roam the North and South Kivu provinces of&nbsp;DR&nbsp;Congo, a vast country the size of western continental Europe.

Five Great Lakes countries,&nbsp;the&nbsp;Democratic Republic of&nbsp;Congo, Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda,&nbsp;decided last month to combine their military operations in the region.

The&nbsp;U.N.'s peacekeeping mission in&nbsp;DR&nbsp;Congo&nbsp;has supported DRC troops in the region, but has ruled out backing any foreign intervention.

The Beni region, in the North Kivu province which borders Uganda and Rwanda, has been particularly affected by militia violence.

Beni is also stricken by the country's Ebola outbreak, which has killed more than 2,000 people in a year,&nbsp;two-thirds of those infected.&nbsp;

U.N. peacekeepers should progressively withdraw from DR Congo by the end of 2022 at the earliest, a strategic review said Wednesday, in the first tentative timeline to exit a country grappling with militia violence and Ebola.

U.N. peacekeepers should progressively withdraw from DR Congo by the end of 2022 at the earliest, a strategic review said Wednesday, in the first tentative timeline to exit a country grappling with militia violence and Ebola. The report comes as 10 civilians were killed in an attack in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo blamed on an Islamist-rooted armed group based in Uganda, as the army launches a sweeping offensive against militancy that has plagued the troubled region for nearly a quarter of a century. The United Nations's MONUSCO mission to the country, one of its biggest deployments encompassing some 16,000 peacekeepers, began two decades ago and has an annual budget of over $1 billion. Its latest mandate comes to an end on December 31 and the decision to renew is made the U.N. Security Council. A review for the Council said that the "timeline for an exit of MONUSCO should be an absolute minimum of three years", in an assessment of the U.N. presence in the country in the wake of the election of new President Felix Tshisekedi. "With a departure at the end of 2022, the U.N. would be in a better position to ensure a responsible transition, if the reforms announced by the new authorities remain on track and the conditions for the best-case scenario materialise," the report said. It noted, however, that there should be "red lines" that would cause the withdrawal to be paused and suggested a political mission to help "prevent a resurgence of conflict". During a visit to eastern Beni in September, U.N. chief Antonio Guterres stressed his support for extending MONUSCO's mandate beyond the year-end and said a strategic review would help make the mission "more useful still to the Congolese people" in terms of security but also politically. "We will do everything to bring an end to the scourge of insecurity," he said. The DR Congo army announced last week that it had launched "large-scale operations" against armed militias in the country's troubled east. In the most recent violence, members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) crossed the border from Uganda late on Tuesday and "killed 10 civilians, some with knives and others with firearms," in the locality of Kokola, Donat Kibwana, a local administrator in the restive Beni region, told AFP. An army spokesman in the region, Major Mak Hazukay, said the ADF were "cornered" by army fire. "That's why they try to cause terror among the population," he told AFP, declining to give a casualty toll for Tuesday's attack. The impoverished central African country has been wracked by conflict near its eastern border, with many of the militias have evolved from the two Congo wars (1996-1997 and 1998-2003). The Islamist-rooted ADF, which arose in western Uganda in 1995, has targeted Beni, killing hundreds of civilians over the last five years. But there are also home-grown militia and other armed groups, some 130 roam the North and South Kivu provinces of DR Congo, a vast country the size of western continental Europe. Five Great Lakes countries, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, decided last month to combine their military operations in the region. The U.N.'s peacekeeping mission in DR Congo has supported DRC troops in the region, but has ruled out backing any foreign intervention. The Beni region, in the North Kivu province which borders Uganda and Rwanda, has been particularly affected by militia violence. Beni is also stricken by the country's Ebola outbreak, which has killed more than 2,000 people in a year, two-thirds of those infected.

U.N. mulls slow DR Congo drawdown despite ongoing bloodshed

From the countries who share the Democratic Republic of Congo's vast border — some of which stirred its devastating conflicts — to international powers invested in peace efforts, the impact of upcoming elections looks set to reverberate far and wide.

Here are some of the implications of the DR Congo's crucial December 23 vote to replace President Joseph Kabila, for nations in the intertwined region and the international community working in the resource-rich country.

Ashes from a regional fire

It has been over a decade since Kinshasa's neighbours fought Africa's "Great War" on its soil, but from across its borders they still jealously guard their interests in the troubled nation.&nbsp;

The current regime in the DRC is the direct result of its neighbours' interventions in two conflicts between 1996 and 2003 that drew in troops from up to seven African countries and left millions dead.

The regional fire was lit by the 1994 Rwandan genocide, as some two million mostly Hutu refugees including those who led the massacres, flooded into eastern Congo.&nbsp;

Rebels used their camps as a new base from which to stage attacks in Rwanda, prompting Kigali to invade the DRC.&nbsp;

Rwanda also, with the help of Uganda, backed a Congolese rebellion which led to the overthrow of strongman Mobutu Sese Seko and saw Laurent-Desire Kabila become president in 1997.

Barely a year later a second conflict began.

Kabila turned his back on his Rwandan and Ugandan allies who then invaded the country again and fought Congolese troops backed by troops from Angola, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Chad. Burundi also carried out limited operations, while Libya and Sudan offered support to Kinshasa.&nbsp;

Kabila was assassinated in 2001 and his son Joseph Kabila became president.

In the years since, the DRC has maintained complex ties with its neighbours, marked by mistrust and the plundering of its considerable natural resources.

"The development of mineral riches, controlled by powerful Congolese, Rwandan and Ugandan interests, is growing and thriving" in the restive east of the country, said Andre Guichaoua, a professor at the Paris-Sorbonne University.

'Co-managed destabilisation'

While the resource extraction continues, those involved have increasingly begun to work side by side.

"Over the course of time, in the eastern Congo, the different networks plundering resources who were rivals, realised that they could all get along without fighting to the death," said Thierry Vircoulon, a researcher at the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI).

He said the disappearance of clearly "Rwanda-backed" rebel groups believed to have been deployed to protect these mineral interests — such as CNDP in the 2000s or M23 in the early 2010s — is evidence of this cohabitation.

Guichaoua described the situation in the east as a "co-managed destabilisation".

Gold, diamonds and oil

In its June 2018 report, the UN Security Council's group of experts on the DRC said that "a large part of the gold sold by Uganda and Rwanda was illegally extracted from neighbouring countries, including the DRC".

In Angola, the government of President Joao Lourenco has pushed for the holding of elections, and for Kabila not to be a candidate.

Luanda is keen to protect its offshore oil interests — which Kinshasa argues are in its waters — and resume control of diamond mining in the north.

Some 400,000 Congolese miners were recently expelled or fled Angola after a massive operation against diamond smuggling.

Firming friendships

Further to the south, Burundi and Tanzania have better relations with Kinshasa, based on similar ideological views and other common interests.

Kinshasa and Bujumbura signed a cooperation deal to fight the Burundian opposition which sought refuge in South-Kivu after a political crisis broke out in the country in 2015.

And in Tanzania, where the Kabila clan lived in exile before taking power and still has financial interests, President John Magufuli's African nationalist views echo those of his counterpart in Kinshasa.

International community snubbed

The United Nations has been present in DRC for 20 years, and its MONUSCO peacekeeping force is one of the biggest in the world.

However in the name of "national sovereignty," Kinshasa has refused any logistical or financial assistance from the international community, as well as the presence of any western observers.

Kinshasa has even refused the assistance of MONUSCO aviation in transporting electoral material across the country of 2.3 million square kilometres (890,000 square miles), which has only 3,400 kilometres of paved roads.

"We are not a country of beggars," said President Joseph Kabila.

Only 200 African observers are being allowed to observe voting in 80,000 polling stations available to the 40 million registered voters.

From the countries who share the Democratic Republic of Congo's vast border — some of which stirred its devastating conflicts — to international powers invested in peace efforts, the impact of upcoming elections looks set to reverberate far and wide.

From the countries who share the Democratic Republic of Congo's vast border — some of which stirred its devastating conflicts — to international powers invested in peace efforts, the impact of upcoming elections looks set to reverberate far and wide. Here are some of the implications of the DR Congo's crucial December 23 vote to replace President Joseph Kabila, for nations in the intertwined region and the international community working in the resource-rich country. Ashes from a regional fire It has been over a decade since Kinshasa's neighbours fought Africa's "Great War" on its soil, but from across its borders they still jealously guard their interests in the troubled nation. The current regime in the DRC is the direct result of its neighbours' interventions in two conflicts between 1996 and 2003 that drew in troops from up to seven African countries and left millions dead. The regional fire was lit by the 1994 Rwandan genocide, as some two million mostly Hutu refugees including those who led the massacres, flooded into eastern Congo. Rebels used their camps as a new base from which to stage attacks in Rwanda, prompting Kigali to invade the DRC. Rwanda also, with the help of Uganda, backed a Congolese rebellion which led to the overthrow of strongman Mobutu Sese Seko and saw Laurent-Desire Kabila become president in 1997. Barely a year later a second conflict began. Kabila turned his back on his Rwandan and Ugandan allies who then invaded the country again and fought Congolese troops backed by troops from Angola, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Chad. Burundi also carried out limited operations, while Libya and Sudan offered support to Kinshasa. Kabila was assassinated in 2001 and his son Joseph Kabila became president. In the years since, the DRC has maintained complex ties with its neighbours, marked by mistrust and the plundering of its considerable natural resources. "The development of mineral riches, controlled by powerful Congolese, Rwandan and Ugandan interests, is growing and thriving" in the restive east of the country, said Andre Guichaoua, a professor at the Paris-Sorbonne University. 'Co-managed destabilisation' While the resource extraction continues, those involved have increasingly begun to work side by side. "Over the course of time, in the eastern Congo, the different networks plundering resources who were rivals, realised that they could all get along without fighting to the death," said Thierry Vircoulon, a researcher at the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI). He said the disappearance of clearly "Rwanda-backed" rebel groups believed to have been deployed to protect these mineral interests — such as CNDP in the 2000s or M23 in the early 2010s — is evidence of this cohabitation. Guichaoua described the situation in the east as a "co-managed destabilisation". Gold, diamonds and oil In its June 2018 report, the UN Security Council's group of experts on the DRC said that "a large part of the gold sold by Uganda and Rwanda was illegally extracted from neighbouring countries, including the DRC". In Angola, the government of President Joao Lourenco has pushed for the holding of elections, and for Kabila not to be a candidate. Luanda is keen to protect its offshore oil interests — which Kinshasa argues are in its waters — and resume control of diamond mining in the north. Some 400,000 Congolese miners were recently expelled or fled Angola after a massive operation against diamond smuggling. Firming friendships Further to the south, Burundi and Tanzania have better relations with Kinshasa, based on similar ideological views and other common interests. Kinshasa and Bujumbura signed a cooperation deal to fight the Burundian opposition which sought refuge in South-Kivu after a political crisis broke out in the country in 2015. And in Tanzania, where the Kabila clan lived in exile before taking power and still has financial interests, President John Magufuli's African nationalist views echo those of his counterpart in Kinshasa. International community snubbed The United Nations has been present in DRC for 20 years, and its MONUSCO peacekeeping force is one of the biggest in the world. However in the name of "national sovereignty," Kinshasa has refused any logistical or financial assistance from the international community, as well as the presence of any western observers. Kinshasa has even refused the assistance of MONUSCO aviation in transporting electoral material across the country of 2.3 million square kilometres (890,000 square miles), which has only 3,400 kilometres of paved roads. "We are not a country of beggars," said President Joseph Kabila. Only 200 African observers are being allowed to observe voting in 80,000 polling stations available to the 40 million registered voters.

High stakes for friends and foes as DRC heads to polls

Alert Indian peacekeepers repulsed an attack by a group of around 30 armed men, suspected to be Mai Mai cadres (local armed group), on its Lubero post in Congo on October 6.&nbsp;Friday&rsquo;s&nbsp;attack was a rare frontal assault on UN forces deployed for protecting civilians in Congo.

&quot;At around 0200 GMT, a group of armed men, probably Mai-Mai, attacked the MONUSCO (UN mission in the DRC) position&quot; near central Lubero, General Bernard Commins, Deputy Chief of the UN troops in the restive country, announced.

Two of the attackers were killed and two were wounded, while two Indian peacekeepers were also suffered minor injuries in the attack.&nbsp;The injured cadre was given immediate first aid by the Indian doctor at the MONUSCO camp and later shifted to Indian Hospital in Goma.

The Mai-Mai became prominent as armed community militias during the Second Congo War (1998-2003), when they effectively allied with the government to battle invading troops notably from Rwanda as well as foreign rebels. Some Mai-Mai forces never gave up the weapons they got from the regime.&nbsp;Since the beginning of 2017, Mai-Mai militias have regularly attacked Congolese Army positions in North Kivu and in neighbouring South Kivu. The Lubero region lies about 300 km North of Goma, the main town of North Kivu province, where dozens of illegal armed groups control several villages. They have been at odds with the government for&nbsp;exploiting mineral resources and prey on local residents.

On September 16,&nbsp;22 children including six girls were extricated by Indian troops from Nyabiondo, a village in the Eastern part of Democratic Republic of Congo on&nbsp;thus foiling attempts by Armed Groups from turning these children into &lsquo;Child Soldiers&rsquo;. This was the culmination of a 48 hour Long Range Mission launched by the Indian Rapid Deployment Battalion based on information received from locals. These children were later handed over to UN Child Protection Agencies for rehabilitation.

On the same day, soldiers of another Indian Battalion prevented displacement of an entire village involving more than 200 families in the Miriki area. The exodus was being caused by fighting between rival groups leading to panic in the region. An immediate show of force by Indian soldiers drove off the fighting groups and brought the situation under control.

More than 2600 Indian peacekeepers are deployed in DR Congo under the UN Peacekeeping Mission called MONUSCO. It is the largest and most complex UN Peacekeeping Mission. The Indian Brigade is deployed in the most unstable province, North Kivu covering an area of 43700 square kilometers with 948 villages and 42 camps for the 1,80,000 internally displaced people. Indian troops conduct 2300 patrols per month to ensure the protection of civilians; the main mandate of MONUSCO.

Alert Indian peacekeepers repulsed an attack by a group of around 30 armed men, suspected to be Mai Mai cadres (local armed group), on its Lubero post in Congo on October 6

Alert Indian peacekeepers repulsed an attack by a group of around 30 armed men, suspected to be Mai Mai cadres (local armed group), on its Lubero post in Congo on October 6. Friday’s attack was a rare frontal assault on UN forces deployed for protecting civilians in Congo. "At around 0200 GMT, a group of armed men, probably Mai-Mai, attacked the MONUSCO (UN mission in the DRC) position" near central Lubero, General Bernard Commins, Deputy Chief of the UN troops in the restive country, announced. Two of the attackers were killed and two were wounded, while two Indian peacekeepers were also suffered minor injuries in the attack. The injured cadre was given immediate first aid by the Indian doctor at the MONUSCO camp and later shifted to Indian Hospital in Goma. The Mai-Mai became prominent as armed community militias during the Second Congo War (1998-2003), when they effectively allied with the government to battle invading troops notably from Rwanda as well as foreign rebels. Some Mai-Mai forces never gave up the weapons they got from the regime. Since the beginning of 2017, Mai-Mai militias have regularly attacked Congolese Army positions in North Kivu and in neighbouring South Kivu. The Lubero region lies about 300 km North of Goma, the main town of North Kivu province, where dozens of illegal armed groups control several villages. They have been at odds with the government for exploiting mineral resources and prey on local residents. On September 16, 22 children including six girls were extricated by Indian troops from Nyabiondo, a village in the Eastern part of Democratic Republic of Congo on thus foiling attempts by Armed Groups from turning these children into ‘Child Soldiers’. This was the culmination of a 48 hour Long Range Mission launched by the Indian Rapid Deployment Battalion based on information received from locals. These children were later handed over to UN Child Protection Agencies for rehabilitation. On the same day, soldiers of another Indian Battalion prevented displacement of an entire village involving more than 200 families in the Miriki area. The exodus was being caused by fighting between rival groups leading to panic in the region. An immediate show of force by Indian soldiers drove off the fighting groups and brought the situation under control. More than 2600 Indian peacekeepers are deployed in DR Congo under the UN Peacekeeping Mission called MONUSCO. It is the largest and most complex UN Peacekeeping Mission. The Indian Brigade is deployed in the most unstable province, North Kivu covering an area of 43700 square kilometers with 948 villages and 42 camps for the 1,80,000 internally displaced people. Indian troops conduct 2300 patrols per month to ensure the protection of civilians; the main mandate of MONUSCO.

Indian UN peacekeepers repulse armed attack in Congo

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