At least 12 rebels have been killed during heavy fighting between the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in conjunction with Mai Mai militiamen, and the Congolese army in two villages, south of the ‘Irumu territory, Ituri province, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
According to Lieutenant Jules Ngongo, the spokesperson of the government army in Ituri province, the incident occurred in the wee hours of Friday morning at around 5am when rebels attacked Otmaber and Mambelenga villages.
Lt Ngongo said that the rebels and militiamen first attacked Otmaber village and started shooting. However, in the process, the government army responded and heavy fighting started resulting in eight deaths. But a few minutes later, the rebels launched a fresh attack at Mambelenga village, where four other lives were lost and five AK 47 guns recovered.
He explained that it took more than five hours for the FARDC to overcome the rebels from their positions in Otmaber and Mambelenga villages. He also said that the fighting disrupted traffic between Komanda and Luna on National Route 4.
“The government army later regained full control of the villages after United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) troops joined us. MONUSCO and FARDC soldiers have also organized motorized combat patrols in order to reassure the distraught population,” Lt Ngongo said.
ADF rebels have continued to carry out surprise attacks against locals despite the presence of FARDC and UPDF in the area to combat its operations since November 30, 2021. Earlier this month, rebels attacked Idohu village same territory and killed 17 locals.
On December 22, 2021, the rebels shot a truck that was transporting food between Makumo and Lukaya in Bangole. The truck was heading to Biakato in the territory of Mambasa (Ituri) from North Kivu. In the same month, the rebels attacked Mahu village, the Bangole group in Mambasa territory in Ituri province, and burnt seven tons of Cocoa that was stored in Kivu agricultural trading company. The rebels also killed five people during the attack.