GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) - At least 14 civilians and four soldiers were killed on Saturday in a six-hour attack by rebels on the town of Beni in eastern Congo, the army and local officials said, disrupting efforts to contain an Ebola epidemic in the area.

The latest outbreak of the deadly disease in Democratic Republic of Congo has been focused in North Kivu and Ituri provinces, which have been a tinder box of armed rebellion and ethnic killing since two civil wars in the late 1990s.

Militants believed to belong to the Allied Democratic Forces, a Ugandan Islamist group active in eastern Congo, clashed with Congolese troops in Beni, a town of several hundred thousand people, local civil society leader Kizito Bin Hangi said by telephone.

“Beni is ungovernable this morning. Several protests have been declared in the town where the people express their anger with consternation,” he said.

In addition to the known fatalities, dozens of civilians were wounded as they fled the violence, which broke out in the early hours of Saturday evening and lasted until midnight, Bin Hangi added.

During a news conference in Beni on Sunday, a representative of the Congolese army said four soldiers had also been killed in the attack.

Spokesman Mak Hazukay confirmed the civilian death toll of 14, but said six civilians and four military personnel had been wounded — lower figures than estimated by the civil society leader.

The attack underscores the challenges the government and health organizations face in tackling Ebola in an area where years of instability has undermined locals’ confidence in the authorities.

Community unrest in the wake of the latest violence prompted the Health Ministry to suspend temporarily the field work it has been carrying out in Beni as part of its Ebola response.

“Many inhabitants of the town of Beni took to the streets this Sunday to protest against the growing insecurity in the zone. The field work of the response will resume once calm returns to the town,” the ministry said in its daily Ebola report.

The latest outbreak, which causes haemmorhagic fever, vomiting and diarrhea, is believed to have killed 99 people since July and infected another 48.</s>GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo : At least 14 civilians and four soldiers were killed on Saturday in a six-hour attack by rebels on the town of Beni in eastern Congo, the army and local officials said, warning the unrest could hamper efforts to quash an Ebola epidemic in the area.

The latest outbreak of the deadly disease in Democratic Republic of Congo has been focussed in North Kivu and Ituri provinces, which have been a tinder box of armed rebellion and ethnic killing since two civil wars in the late 1990s.

Militants believed to belong to the Allied Democratic Forces, a Ugandan Islamist group active in eastern Congo, clashed with Congolese troops in Beni, a town of several hundred thousand people, local civil society leader Kizito Bin Hangi said by telephone.

"Beni is ungovernable this morning. Several protests have been declared in the town where the people express their anger with consternation," he said.

In addition to the known fatalities, dozens of civilians were wounded as they fled the violence, which broke out in the early hours of Saturday evening and lasted until midnight, Bin Hangi added.

During a press conference in Beni on Sunday, a representative of the Congolese army said four of its soldiers had also been killed in the attack.

Spokesman Mak Hazukay confirmed the civilian death toll of 14, but said six civilians and four military personnel had been wounded - lower figures than estimated by the civil society leader.

The attack underscores the challenges the government and health organisations face in tackling Ebola in an area where years of instability has undermined locals' confidence in the authorities.

The violence "will have a considerable impact on the whole response to Ebola," a local public health official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

"The general hospital which houses one of the Ebola treatment centres was the focus of angry protests this morning. This is a normal reaction for a community that is bereaved for the umpteenth time," the official said.

The latest Ebola outbreak, which causes haemmorhagic fever, vomiting and diarrhea, is believed to have killed 99 people since July and infected another 48.</s>GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo Sept 23 (Reuters) - At least 14 civilians were killed on Saturday in a six-hour attack by rebels on the town of Beni in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, local officials told Reuters, warning the unrest may hamper efforts to quash an Ebola epidemic in the area.

The latest outbreak of the deadly disease has been focused in North Kivu and Ituri provinces, which have been a tinder box of armed rebellion and ethnic killing since two civil wars in the late 1990s.

Militants believed to belong to the Allied Democratic Forces, a Ugandan Islamist group active in eastern Congo, clashed with Congolese troops in Beni, a town of several hundred thousand people, local civil society leader Kizito Bin Hangi said by telephone.

"Beni is ungovernable this morning. Several protests have been declared in the town where the people express their anger with consternation," he said.

In addition to the known fatalities, dozens of civilians were wounded as they fled the violence, which broke out in the early hours of Saturday evening and lasted until midnight, Bin Hangi added.

A spokesman for the army declined immediate comment.

The attack underscores the challenges the government and health organisations face in tackling Ebola in an area where years of instability has undermined locals' confidence in the authorities.

The violence "will have a considerable impact on the whole response to Ebola," a local public health official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

"The general hospital which houses one of the Ebola treatment centres was the focus of angry protests this morning. This is a normal reaction for a community that is bereaved for the umpteenth time," the official said.

The latest Ebola outbreak, which causes haemmorhagic fever, vomiting and diarrhea, is believed to have killed 99 people since July and infected another 48.</s>The latest violence, which sparks local anger, comes just 3 months before the Democratic Republic of Congo holds a fractious election to choose a successor to Joseph Kabila, the country's deeply-contested president

GOMA, Democratic Republic of the Congo – The death toll from a weekend attack in DR Congo's restive east rose to 21 on Monday, September 24, with the violence prompting aid groups to suspend their Ebola work in the area.

The bloodshed occurred on Saturday in Beni, a flashpoint city in North Kivu region. The Congolese army has blamed the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a notorious rebel militia.

The latest violence, which sparked local anger, comes just three months before the Democratic Republic of Congo holds a fractious election to choose a successor to Joseph Kabila, the country's deeply-contested president.

It also prompted NGOs in Beni working to fight the spread of Ebola to halt their work following a health ministry request, although Doctors Without Borders (MSF) was operating as normal in treatment centres some 30-50 kilometres (20-30 miles) outside the city.

Witnesses said Saturday's violence began in the city centre in the late afternoon with the attackers using guns and machetes.

An initial army estimate put the toll at 18 dead, including 14 civilians and four soldiers, but later raised it to 21, including 17 civilians.

On Monday morning, many shops, schools and businesses in Beni remained closed in protest, and an opposition lawmaker called for "a rapid assessment of the army's operational effectiveness" ahead of December's elections.

"The front line is no longer in the Virunga National Park and is now in Beni, which poses a real danger for the holding of safe elections on December 23," said Anselme Mwaka, an opposition MP from the Union for the Congolese Nation (UNC).

Social networks buzzed with comments denouncing the apparent powerlessness of the army and perceived silence of the authorities.

"Kabila and his cronies dare to suggest that the situation is getting better yet these dramas are taking place every day. How can they live with this responsibility?" tweeted exiled opposition leader Moise Katumbi.

Patrick Nkanga Bekonda, a Kabila adviser, suggested there were local and external forces trying to provoke civil conflict in the troubled city.

"We can see the hallmarks of both local and external involvement in the 'Somalisation' of Beni, despite efforts to reduce these killings," he said.

Since January, Congolese troops have been engaged in a major military operation against the ADF but have not yet managed to stop the bloodshed in and around Beni.

The ADF is one of a number of armed groups that hold territory in the eastern DR Congo and are battling for control of the region's rich mineral resources.

The militia group, created by Muslim radicals to oppose of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, has been present in North Kivu since 1995. It has been accused of killing several hundred civilians over the past three-and-a-half years. – Rappler.com</s>KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — A Congolese civil society group says that 18 people have been killed in attacks by suspected Allied Democratic Forces rebels in the eastern city of Beni, an added threat to the city and region which are battling an Ebola outbreak.

The Norwegian Refugee Council said it and other aid agencies have been forced to temporarily suspend activities in Beni because of Saturday's attack.

"This points to an increasingly worrisome security situation across the country," the group said in a statement Monday. "NRC has also had to interrupt multiple aid activities due to intensifying and more frequent armed clashes in Djugu territory in the northern province of Ituri and Fizi territory of South Kivu over the last two weeks. These suspensions have disrupted aid to thousands of people in need of humanitarian assistance and protection."

Stephen Lamin, area manager for the Norwegian Refugee Council, said that it was a worst-case scenario. The group is providing food, household items, education and legal counselling in the region.

Congo's health minister, Dr. Oly Ilunga Kalenga, said that health staff had to only temporarily suspend field activities that required home visits, but otherwise "that all pillars of the response remain fully operational."

"Despite the unfortunate events of the last few days, the Ministry of Health remains fully committed to your community," he said.

Health centers, including the Beni Ebola Treatment Center, all remained open, among other responses, he said.

"We share your sorrow. Do not let these tragic incidents divide us," he said. "The only way to end the Ebola Virus Disease epidemic remains the mobilization and commitment of the community alongside the health authorities."

The U.N.-backed Radio Okapi reported Sunday that 14 civilians and four soldiers were killed in the attacks Saturday in the Rwenzori community of Beni.

The ADF rebels attacked a military position and the battle caused the deaths. Radio Okapi also reported many market stalls were looted by the suspected Uganda-based rebels.

Though agencies continued the health work to contain Ebola, such attacks hamper those efforts.

This latest outbreak in the country's east has infected at least 118 people, including 69 people who have died, according to Congo's Health Ministry.

Congo's 10th outbreak was declared on Aug. 1. More than 10,000 people have since been vaccinated.

Congo's east is home to many armed groups vying for control of the mineral-rich region.

The ADF rebels have killed more than 1,500 people in the Beni region since October 2014. The rebels formed in the 1990s, eventually relocating from neighboring Uganda to Congo.</s>At least 16 people have been killed and eight others injured in a rebel attack in the Democratic Republic of Congo's restive eastern city of Beni, according to witnesses.

Twelve of the dead were civilians and the rest government soldiers, witnesses told the AFP news agency on Sunday. The attack on late Saturday also left five civilians injured, according to a doctor at a local hospital. 



The Beni region is under siege from the Allied Defence Forces (ADF), a Ugandan rebel group that has operated in the region since 1995, which has been blamed for hundreds of civilian deaths over the past four years.

Foreign humanitarian workers have been stationed in Beni, in the North Kivu province near the border with Uganda, since early August to deal with a new Ebola outbreak in the region.

 

"The surprise attack happened in the streets of Beni city," the doctor told AFP. Four of the dead were killed while travelling in a taxi.

 

According to several witness accounts, the attack started around 16:30-17:00 GMT. 

 

Heavy and light-calibre gunfire was heard for several hours until after midnight local time. It was not known whether the army counterattacked.

 

The rebels attacked areas near the centre of the trading settlement of several hundred thousand inhabitants.

The ADF group is responsible for the deaths of more than 1,500 people and 800 kidnappings since 2014, according to local civil society organisations.

North Kivu, one of the most populated areas of the DRC, is home to a number of armed groups that kill or abduct civilians.</s>KINSHASA, Congo — A Congolese civil society group says that 18 people have been killed in attacks by suspected Allied Democratic Forces rebels in the eastern city of Beni, as the city and region continue to face an Ebola outbreak.

The U.N.-backed Radio Okapi reported Sunday that 14 civilians and 4 soldiers were killed in the attacks Saturday in the Rwenzori community of Beni.

The ADF rebels attacked a military position and the battle caused the deaths. Radio Okapi also reported many market stalls were looted by the suspected Uganda-based rebels.

Such attacks hamper efforts to contain an Ebola outbreak that Congo’s ministry said has infected at least 118 people, including 69 people who have died.

Congo’s tenth outbreak was declared on Aug. 1. More than 10,000 people have since been vaccinated.</s>DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: At least 18 people, including 14 civilians, have been killed in a rebel attack in Beni in Democratic Republic of Congo's restive east, an army spokesperson told AFP on Sunday.

Four soldiers were among the dead following the attack on Saturday night, military official Mak Hazukai said, with witnesses describing gunfire and groups of assailants slashing victims with machetes.

The Beni region, not far from the Ugandan border, is under siege from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an Islamist rebel group blamed for hundreds of civilian deaths over the past four years.

"The territory and the city of Beni are facing ADF terrorism whose command structure is led by Ugandans," said Hazukai, adding that nine people were also wounded in Saturday's violence.

The ADF is a militia initially created by Muslim rebels to oppose Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, but also operates in the DRC.

"The surprise attack happened in the streets of Beni city," a doctor at the local hospital told AFP. Four of the dead were killed while travelling in a taxi.

According to several witness accounts, the attack started around 1630-1700 GMT.

"There were lots of attackers, they gave a shout of joy... The rebels cut victims with a machete," witness Kasero Mumbi said.

ALSO READ | Ebola outbreak: Death toll in DR Congo now at 61

Heavy and light calibre gunfire was heard for several hours until after midnight local time. It was not known whether the army counter-attacked.

The rebels targeted areas near the centre of the city, home to several hundred thousand people.

"The people of North Kivu are suffering too much. This weekend again many innocent people have died," Dutch Ambassador Robert Schuddeboom said.

The ADF has been in the east of DR Congo since 1995 and is accused by the UN and Congolese authorities of committing a series of civilian massacres since 2014.

However, in 2015 the New York University Study Group on Congo said it was not just the ADF behind the killings and that other armed elements, including members of the Congolese army, were also to blame.

Beni is in North Kivu province, one of the most populated areas of the DRC, and home to a number of armed groups that kill or abduct civilians.

Foreign humanitarian workers have been stationed in Beni since early August to deal with a new Ebola outbreak in the region.</s>BENI: Sixteen people, including 12 civilians, were killed in a rebel attack on Beni in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s restive east, witnesses told AFP on Sunday. A doctor at the local hospital reported seeing 16 dead bodies, “including 12 civilians and four soldiers or rebels.” Eight people were injured, of whom five civilians, in the attack late Saturday. The Beni region is under siege from the Allied Defence Forces (ADF), an Islamist rebel group blamed for hundreds of civilian deaths over the past four years. Foreign humanitarian workers have been stationed in Beni, in the north Kivu province near the border with Uganda, since early August to deal with a new Ebola outbreak in the region. “The surprise attack happened in the streets of Beni city,” the doctor told AFP. Four of the dead were killed while travelling in a taxi. According to several witness accounts, the attack started around 1630-1700 GMT.</s>, BENI , Democratic Republic of Congo, Sep 23 – Sixteen people, including 12 civilians, were killed in a rebel attack on Beni in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s restive east, witnesses told AFP on Sunday.

A doctor at the local hospital reported seeing 16 dead bodies, “including 12 civilians and four soldiers or rebels.” Eight people were injured, of whom five civilians, in the attack late Saturday.

The Beni region is under siege from the Allied Defence Forces (ADF), an Islamist rebel group blamed for hundreds of civilian deaths over the past four years.

Foreign humanitarian workers have been stationed in Beni, in the north Kivu province near the border with Uganda, since early August to deal with a new Ebola outbreak in the region.

“The surprise attack happened in the streets of Beni city,” the doctor told AFP. Four of the dead were killed while travelling in a taxi.

According to several witness accounts, the attack started around 1630-1700 GMT.

Heavy and light calibre gunfire was heard for several hours until after midnight local time. It was not known whether the army counter-attacked.

The rebels targeted areas near the centre of the trading settlement of several hundred thousand inhabitants.

The ADF is a militia initially created by Muslim rebels to oppose Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, but also operates in the DRC.

The group has been in the east of the country since 1995 and are accused by the UN and Congolese authorities of committing a series of civilian massacres since 2014.

However, in 2015 the New York University Study Group on Congo said it was not just the ADF behind the killings and that other armed elements, including members of the Congolese army, were also to blame.

North Kivu, one of the most populated areas of the DRC, is home to a number of armed groups that kill or abduct civilians.
Rebels kill 23 civilians and four soldiers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The attack was near an Ebola epidemic in the town of Beni in eastern Congo.