Islamist militants kill 22 in DR Congo in the latest deadly attack

Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an Islamist militant group based in Eastern Congo killed at least 22 people on Sunday night.

The ADF group has roots in Uganda but has pitched a tent in DR Congo near Goma region, in a country that harbors warlords and dozens of criminals.

While security forces have been unleashing on the group since October, they have however failed to completely vanquish it from hideouts.

In his State of the Nation address on Friday, Congo President Felix Tshisekedi said the campaign had “dismantled” nearly all of the ADF’s sanctuaries and that the rebels were turning to guerrilla tactics out of desperation.

But the president's remarks were accompanied by the latest terror attack which targeted women and children, who are soft targets for the group.

Richard Kivanzanga, the deputy administrator of Beni territory, told Reuters he had counted 22 bodies on Sunday in the villages of Baoba and Ntombi.

“The assailants killed women, men, and children,” he said. “It wasn’t possible to evacuate all the bodies today because we had to wait for an escort from the army.”

DR Congo is synonymous with hosting several armed groups mainly from the neighboring Uganda, Burundi, and Rwanda.

But the ADF approach, which among others seeks to impose radical Islamic religion among locals, has often executed those opposed to the idea.

Last month, the United Nations Panel of Experts report exposed an increased wave of violence instigated by terrorists in Central Africa.

The U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions on Tuesday on six members of the ADF, including its leader Musa Baluku, who has been in hideouts.

Islamic State has claimed some ADF attacks this year, but researchers say there is a lack of hard evidence linking the two groups.

President Felix Tshisekedi took over from Joseph Kabila early this year and he's struggling to restore order in the restless Great Lakes country.

Besides pressure to crush armed groups, Tshisekedi is also facing difficulties in fixing the economy which has struggled for decades.

Armed groups including ADF commonly get income by running mafia-style taxation which targets companies mining minerals and transportation organizations.

The ADF group is also accused of making it difficult for humanitarian workers to access strategic areas, something that leads to more deaths.

GAROWE ONLINE