On 22 January 2023 in Makugwe in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Islamists killed about 20 people.[1]

Makugwe massacre
Part of Kivu conflict
LocationMakugwe, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo
DateJanuary 22, 2023
Deaths17-24 killed (per Congolese army)
23 killed and 3 missing (per witnesses)
Perpetrator Islamic State

Background

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The Allied Democratic Forces are a Ugandan Islamist group who began an insurgency in 1996. It spread to the DRC and intensified during the 2010s. Their attacks in North Kivu include a massacre in Beni in 2016. During the late 2010s, the group forged close links to the Islamic State. They bombed a church in Kasindi, North Kivu on 15 January 2023.

Attack

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On the evening of 22 January 2023, the Allied Democratic Forces killed between 17 and 24 people in Makugwe, a village near Beni, North Kivu, in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[1] The massacre occurred at a bar; the insurgents also looted and set fire to several homes and shops, and kidnapped several people.[1] Provincial deputy Saidi Balikwisha, who was in Makugwe during the attack, claimed the death toll to be 23 and stated at least 3 others were reported missing.[2][3] On 23 January, Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack.

References

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  1. ^ a b c Suspected Islamists kill 23 in DRC attack
  2. ^ Betha (2023-01-24). "Suspected Islamists loot, torch several homes and kill at least 23 in east DRC attack". African Insider. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
  3. ^ "Nearly 20 people killed in new attack blamed on ADF in eastern DRC". MSN. Retrieved 2023-01-24.