Rebels in eastern DR Congo kill at least 18

DAKAR

At least 18 people were killed overnight by rebel fighters in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, an official said Monday.

Suspected rebel fighters from Uganda’s Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) on Sunday night attacked the town of Apetina-Sana in the Beni region, Beni administrator Donat Kibwana told the media.

The Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo deployed soldiers in the region.

For the last 20 years, eastern Congo has seen a number of conflicts break out over ethnic and land disputes, control of mineral resources, and rivalries between neighboring states.

The ADF rebels -- originating in Uganda, the country’s northeast, in the 1990s -- have been attacking and killing civilians in eastern DRC for over two decades.

The ADF rebels have left aside their political demands, as they are mostly involved in trafficking minerals in the eastern DRC, which is rich in gold.

* Writing by Erdogan Cagatay Zontur