At least 35 civilians killed in an attack attributed to the ADF in Banango.

At least 35 civilians lost their lives on Saturday, June 7, during a bloody attack attributed to the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels in Banango, a town located about 200 kilometers from Lubero-centre.

According to administrative and civil society sources, the attack on Banango occurred after an FARDC offensive that drove the rebels from Ekenye hill. As they fled, the assailants targeted two mining sites, Angola 1 and Angola 2, in the Bapukara groupement, where they committed a series of executions of civilians.

The chief of the Bapere sector, Macaire Sivikunulwa, confirmed the incursion: “They besieged a mining camp called Angola 1 and Angola 2. They committed a massacre.The provisional death toll is 35 to 36 people.” Others were swept away, and some drowned while trying to cross the Lubero River.”

The lack of telephone service makes verification difficult, and the death toll could rise, as several people are still missing. Faced with the violence, many residents have fled the area, seeking refuge in areas deemed safer. Military operations are underway to try to recover the bodies of the victims and locate the missing.