Suspected militants of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) killed at least 17 people and injured four others in eastern DR Congo's North Kivu province on Sunday (March 12). The attack took place in the early hours of Sunday at Kirindera village in North Kivu's Beni territory. Speaking to the news agency AFP, Kirindera's chief Katembo Kahongya said the militants also set fire to the buildings.&nbsp;

"They used bladed weapons and fire to execute the population," Kahongya said. Meanwhile, a resident Mukondano Kambale told the news agency that the militants killed people in a hotel and a health clinic before being chased away. "It's fear and desolation in the centre of Kirindera," Kambale added.&nbsp;

This attack in eastern DR Congo comes just days after ADF militants killed more than 40 people in twin attacks in neighbouring North Kivu villages on Wednesday. According to an army spokesperson, the attacks were carried out in retaliation for the army detaining more than 22 ADF collaborators and closing down pharmacies allegedly supplying the group with chemicals to make bombs.

A day later, a delegation from the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in the country assessed the security and humanitarian situation in North Kivu.

The ADF, which the Islamic State claims as its central African affiliate, is one of the main militant groups behind the bloodshed in eastern Congo, where around 10,000 people have been killed since 2017, as per the Kivu Security Tracker.&nbsp;

Since 2021, a joint operation launched by the militaries of Congo and Uganda has been targeting militia in eastern DR Congo, but attacks have nonetheless continued.&nbsp;

Last week, the United States offered a reward of up to $5 million for information concerning ADF leader Seka Musa Baluku. Two years back, Washington designated Baluku as a global terrorist and his group as a foreign terrorist organisation, blocking assets and property interests.&nbsp; 
 
(With inputs from agencies) 
 
&nbsp;

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Suspected militants of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) killed at least 17 people and injured four others in eastern DR Congo's North Kivu province on Sunday (March 12).

Suspected militants of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) killed at least 17 people and injured four others in eastern DR Congo's North Kivu province on Sunday (March 12). The attack took place in the early hours of Sunday at Kirindera village in North Kivu's Beni territory. Speaking to the news agency AFP, Kirindera's chief Katembo Kahongya said the militants also set fire to the buildings. "They used bladed weapons and fire to execute the population," Kahongya said. Meanwhile, a resident Mukondano Kambale told the news agency that the militants killed people in a hotel and a health clinic before being chased away. "It's fear and desolation in the centre of Kirindera," Kambale added. This attack in eastern DR Congo comes just days after ADF militants killed more than 40 people in twin attacks in neighbouring North Kivu villages on Wednesday. According to an army spokesperson, the attacks were carried out in retaliation for the army detaining more than 22 ADF collaborators and closing down pharmacies allegedly supplying the group with chemicals to make bombs. A day later, a delegation from the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in the country assessed the security and humanitarian situation in North Kivu. The ADF, which the Islamic State claims as its central African affiliate, is one of the main militant groups behind the bloodshed in eastern Congo, where around 10,000 people have been killed since 2017, as per the Kivu Security Tracker. Since 2021, a joint operation launched by the militaries of Congo and Uganda has been targeting militia in eastern DR Congo, but attacks have nonetheless continued. Last week, the United States offered a reward of up to $5 million for information concerning ADF leader Seka Musa Baluku. Two years back, Washington designated Baluku as a global terrorist and his group as a foreign terrorist organisation, blocking assets and property interests. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Suspected ADF militants kill at least 17 in eastern DR Congo province

The Democratic Republic of Congo has confirmed a third Ebola case this week in North Kivu province.

A new outbreak would be Congo's 12th since the virus was first discovered near the Ebola river in 1976.

The case was found in Butembo, a city of over 1 million people and the epicentre of a major outbreak of the disease that was declared over last June after nearly two years.

The Ebola virus causes severe vomiting and diarrhoea and is spread through contact with body fluids.

Congo's health ministry announced a resurgence of the disease on February 7, after a woman contracted Ebola and died. She was married to a survivor of the previous outbreak.

On Friday, 1,200 doses of Ebola vaccine and cold chain equipment arrived in Butembo, the health ministry and the World Health Organisation (WHO) said in a statement.

The Democratic Republic of Congo has confirmed a third Ebola case this week in North Kivu province. A new outbreak would be Congo's 12th since the virus was first discovered near the Ebola river in 1976.

The Democratic Republic of Congo has confirmed a third Ebola case this week in North Kivu province. A new outbreak would be Congo's 12th since the virus was first discovered near the Ebola river in 1976. The case was found in Butembo, a city of over 1 million people and the epicentre of a major outbreak of the disease that was declared over last June after nearly two years. The Ebola virus causes severe vomiting and diarrhoea and is spread through contact with body fluids. Congo's health ministry announced a resurgence of the disease on February 7, after a woman contracted Ebola and died. She was married to a survivor of the previous outbreak. On Friday, 1,200 doses of Ebola vaccine and cold chain equipment arrived in Butembo, the health ministry and the World Health Organisation (WHO) said in a statement.

DR Congo confirms third Ebola case in North Kivu province

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has claimed more than 2,000 lives out of a total of 3,000 recorded cases since August last year, health officials said Friday.

"In total, there have been 2,006 deaths (1,901 confirmed and 105 probable)," officials said in a bulletin dated Thursday.

"Since the start of the epidemic, the number of cases is 3,004, including 2,899 confirmed and 105 probable," it added.

The outbreak of the haemorrhagic virus began in North Kivu province in eastern DR Congo on August 1, 2018 and spread to Ituri province.

Officials also reported that some 902 people were cured of the disease.

Ebola is named after a river in northern DR Congo, formerly named Zaire, where the virus was first identified in 1976.

The latest outbreak is the second-deadliest on record after more than 11,000 people were killed in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia between 2014 and 2016.

The WHO has declared the epidemic a "public health emergency of international concern" and so far nearly 200,000 people have been vaccinated.

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has claimed more than 2,000 lives out of a total of 3,000 recorded cases since August last year, health officials said Friday.

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has claimed more than 2,000 lives out of a total of 3,000 recorded cases since August last year, health officials said Friday. "In total, there have been 2,006 deaths (1,901 confirmed and 105 probable)," officials said in a bulletin dated Thursday. "Since the start of the epidemic, the number of cases is 3,004, including 2,899 confirmed and 105 probable," it added. The outbreak of the haemorrhagic virus began in North Kivu province in eastern DR Congo on August 1, 2018 and spread to Ituri province. Officials also reported that some 902 people were cured of the disease. Ebola is named after a river in northern DR Congo, formerly named Zaire, where the virus was first identified in 1976. The latest outbreak is the second-deadliest on record after more than 11,000 people were killed in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia between 2014 and 2016. The WHO has declared the epidemic a "public health emergency of international concern" and so far nearly 200,000 people have been vaccinated.

DR Congo Ebola death toll passes 2,000: Official

The second case of Ebola was detected in the eastern <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/first-ebola-patient-in-eastern-congos-main-city-dies-236497">Congolese city of Goma</a> on Tuesday, the Provincial Minister of North Kivu, Valerien Mbalikwirand, said.

The case increases concern the virus could establish a foothold in the densely populated area close to the Rwandan border.

Goma's first Ebola case was detected in mid-July, prompting the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/world-health-organization-says-e-cigarettes-undoubtedly-harmful-238779">World Health Organization</a> (WHO) to warn that the spread of the disease could accelerate. The epidemic has killed more than 1,700 people since it was declared almost a year ago, becoming the second-worst outbreak on record.

The latest person with the disease started developing symptoms on July 22, after arriving from a mining area outside the city, a health official said.

Health officials believe the patient, a man, is not connected to the first case in Goma.

The epidemiologist in charge of the Ebola response team, Jean Jacques Muyembe, said response teams began de-contaminating the areas where the patient had passed through and that vaccinations would start tomorrow.

"We already have response teams in the field to, first of all, disinfect the victims home and also the health centre through which he passed. We have already established a list of high-risk contacts and as early as tomorrow we will start to compile a list of contacts, and as early as tomorrow these contacts will be vaccinated with the vaccine we have here," Muyembe said.

He said, unlike the first case, the latest patient will be able to receive appropriate treatment in Goma as a facility has been opened in the city, which is more than 350 kilometres (220 miles) south of where the outbreak was first detected.

Goma has been preparing for Ebola to arrive in the city for a year, setting up hand-washing stations and making sure moto-taxi drivers do not share helmets. 
&nbsp;

The second case of Ebola was detected in the eastern Congolese city of Goma on Tuesday, the Provincial Minister of North Kivu, Valerien Mbalikwirand, said. The case increases concern the virus could establish a foothold in the densely populated area close to the Rwandan border.

The second case of Ebola was detected in the eastern Congolese city of Goma on Tuesday, the Provincial Minister of North Kivu, Valerien Mbalikwirand, said. The case increases concern the virus could establish a foothold in the densely populated area close to the Rwandan border. Goma's first Ebola case was detected in mid-July, prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to warn that the spread of the disease could accelerate. The epidemic has killed more than 1,700 people since it was declared almost a year ago, becoming the second-worst outbreak on record. The latest person with the disease started developing symptoms on July 22, after arriving from a mining area outside the city, a health official said. Health officials believe the patient, a man, is not connected to the first case in Goma. The epidemiologist in charge of the Ebola response team, Jean Jacques Muyembe, said response teams began de-contaminating the areas where the patient had passed through and that vaccinations would start tomorrow. "We already have response teams in the field to, first of all, disinfect the victims home and also the health centre through which he passed. We have already established a list of high-risk contacts and as early as tomorrow we will start to compile a list of contacts, and as early as tomorrow these contacts will be vaccinated with the vaccine we have here," Muyembe said. He said, unlike the first case, the latest patient will be able to receive appropriate treatment in Goma as a facility has been opened in the city, which is more than 350 kilometres (220 miles) south of where the outbreak was first detected. Goma has been preparing for Ebola to arrive in the city for a year, setting up hand-washing stations and making sure moto-taxi drivers do not share helmets.

Second Ebola case detected in eastern Congo's main city

More than 300,000 people have fled inter-ethnic violence in the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo since early June, complicating the tracing and <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/who-panel-decides-not-to-declare-international-ebola-emergency-227302">treatment of patients at risk from Ebola</a>, UN aid agencies said on Tuesday.

At least 161 people have been killed in a northeastern province of the Democratic Republic of Congo in the past week, local officials said on Monday, in an apparent resurgence of ethnic clashes between farming and herding communities.

"Violence in northeastern parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo is reported to have displaced more than 300,000 since early June. The situation in Ituri province has deteriorated since the middle of last week, with multiple attacks involving the Hema and Lendu groups," the UN refugee agency spokesman Babar Baloch told a news briefing.

The UNHCR fears that the escalation could engulf large parts of the province, amid reports of killings, kidnappings and sexual violence unleashed against civilians, he said. The government is trying to bring the clashes under control, he added.

As Congolese flee violence at "this massive scale", fears are that more people will try to seek safety in Uganda, crossing Lake Albert, Baloch said.

An Ebola epidemic in Congo, which spread to Uganda last week, has caused 2,168 infections since August, including 1,449 deaths, with Ituri accounting for about 10 per cent of cases and deaths, WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said.

"We are always saying the mobility of the population in North Kivu and Ituri is a risk factor," Jasarevic told the briefing.

"So every time you have people moving in high numbers, it is more complicated to do the work of follow-up, contact tracing, follow up on the people who are supposed basically to be observed on a daily basis for 21 days," he said, referring to the disease's incubation period.

More than 300,000 people have fled inter-ethnic violence in the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo since early June, complicating the tracing and treatment of patients at risk from Ebola, UN aid agencies said on Tuesday.

More than 300,000 people have fled inter-ethnic violence in the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo since early June, complicating the tracing and treatment of patients at risk from Ebola, UN aid agencies said on Tuesday. At least 161 people have been killed in a northeastern province of the Democratic Republic of Congo in the past week, local officials said on Monday, in an apparent resurgence of ethnic clashes between farming and herding communities. "Violence in northeastern parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo is reported to have displaced more than 300,000 since early June. The situation in Ituri province has deteriorated since the middle of last week, with multiple attacks involving the Hema and Lendu groups," the UN refugee agency spokesman Babar Baloch told a news briefing. The UNHCR fears that the escalation could engulf large parts of the province, amid reports of killings, kidnappings and sexual violence unleashed against civilians, he said. The government is trying to bring the clashes under control, he added. As Congolese flee violence at "this massive scale", fears are that more people will try to seek safety in Uganda, crossing Lake Albert, Baloch said. An Ebola epidemic in Congo, which spread to Uganda last week, has caused 2,168 infections since August, including 1,449 deaths, with Ituri accounting for about 10 per cent of cases and deaths, WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said. "We are always saying the mobility of the population in North Kivu and Ituri is a risk factor," Jasarevic told the briefing. "So every time you have people moving in high numbers, it is more complicated to do the work of follow-up, contact tracing, follow up on the people who are supposed basically to be observed on a daily basis for 21 days," he said, referring to the disease's incubation period.

More than 300,000 flee Congo violence, complicating Ebola fight: United Nations

Some 100 people have died in the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/dr-congo-ebola-outbreak-death-toll-rises-to-565-201603">Ebola epidemic in DR Congo</a> over the past three weeks, taking the overall death toll in the latest outbreak past 700, according to health ministry data.

Local people are now at least receiving vaccines on a large scale for the first time with more than 95,000 getting a dose of the rVSV-Zebov vaccine from Merck laboratories.

The health ministry said this had enabled thousands of lives to be saved.

The Democratic Republic of Congo declared its tenth outbreak of Ebola in 40 years last August in northeastern North Kivu province before it spread into the neighbouring Ituri region.

The current outbreak is the second worst to date, the deadliest being a 2014 epidemic in West Africa which killed more than 10,000 people in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

"Since the start of the epidemic, overall cases are 1,117 -- 1,051 confirmed and 66 probable. In total there are 702 deaths (636 confirmed and 66 probable) and 339 people who have recovered," the ministry said, quoting data up to Thursday.

The ministry added late Friday that another 295 suspected cases were being examined.

The World Health Organization has warned that "the risk of national and regional spread remains very high" and said dealing with the epidemic could take another six months.

Poor security owing to the presence of several armed groups, coupled with resistance of some communities to seeking treatment, has hampered the fight to stem the spread of the disease.

A recent study in the central Congolese cities of Beni and Butembo found only a third trusted local authorities to help them and more than a quarter believed Ebola does not exist.&nbsp;

Some 100 people have died in the Ebola epidemic in DR Congo over the past three weeks, taking the overall death toll in the latest outbreak past 700, according to health ministry data.

Some 100 people have died in the Ebola epidemic in DR Congo over the past three weeks, taking the overall death toll in the latest outbreak past 700, according to health ministry data. Local people are now at least receiving vaccines on a large scale for the first time with more than 95,000 getting a dose of the rVSV-Zebov vaccine from Merck laboratories. The health ministry said this had enabled thousands of lives to be saved. The Democratic Republic of Congo declared its tenth outbreak of Ebola in 40 years last August in northeastern North Kivu province before it spread into the neighbouring Ituri region. The current outbreak is the second worst to date, the deadliest being a 2014 epidemic in West Africa which killed more than 10,000 people in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. "Since the start of the epidemic, overall cases are 1,117 -- 1,051 confirmed and 66 probable. In total there are 702 deaths (636 confirmed and 66 probable) and 339 people who have recovered," the ministry said, quoting data up to Thursday. The ministry added late Friday that another 295 suspected cases were being examined. The World Health Organization has warned that "the risk of national and regional spread remains very high" and said dealing with the epidemic could take another six months. Poor security owing to the presence of several armed groups, coupled with resistance of some communities to seeking treatment, has hampered the fight to stem the spread of the disease. A recent study in the central Congolese cities of Beni and Butembo found only a third trusted local authorities to help them and more than a quarter believed Ebola does not exist.

Ebola toll tops 700 in DR Congo