46 civilians killed in eastern DR Congo

At least 46 civilians were killed on Thursday by suspected Islamic militants in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Confirming the incident, Adio Gidi, the Ituri provincial interior minister, said a mission will be dispatched to the area to determine the final toll.

The Allied Democratic Forces, a Ugandan rebel group, was blamed for the attacks. The group has been blamed for hundreds of killings in the region since 2019.

On Jan 5, the rebel group killed 21 people in a village in eastern DR Congo.

According to the United Nations, there are more than 100 armed groups operating in the DR Congo. The groups continue to terrorize communities and control weakly governed areas, despite the presence of more than 16,000 UN peacekeepers.

The violence in the country is partly fueled by its massive resource wealth. The rebel groups finance their operations and buy arms through the mineral trade.

Currently 4.5 million people in DR Congo have been internally displaced due to the conflicts, according to the UN.