Maimoya highway massacre
| Maimoya highway massacre | |
|---|---|
| Part of Allied Democratic Forces insurgency of the Kivu conflict | |
| Location | Mayi-Moya-Chani-chani highway, Beni Territory, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Date | July 22, 2021 |
| Target | Civilians |
| Deaths | 16 |
| Injured | 9 |
| Perpetrator |  Allied Democratic Forces |
On July 22, 2021, jihadists from the Allied Democratic Forces (also known as Islamic State – Central Africa Province) ambushed a convoy of civilians returning from a market along a highway between Mayi-Moya and Chani-chani, Beni Territory, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Sixteen civilians were killed in the ambush, and nine more were injured.
Background
[edit]The Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) was founded in Uganda in the 1990s, gaining prominence as an Islamist rebel group and conducting deadly attacks on civilians in the early 2010s.[1] The group pledged bay'ah to the Islamic State in 2019 and began carrying out its first attacks under the ISCAP moniker months later.[1] Beginning in 2021, the ADF carried out dozens of deadly massacres against villages in North Kivu, attacking villagers along ethnic and religious lines.[1]
Massacre
[edit]The massacre occurred along the road linking Mayi-Moya and Chani-chani in Beni Territory, and at the time of the attack a convoy of civilians were returning from the market.[2] The ambush occurred in the town of Mayi-Moya (also spelled Maimoya), and began when the attackers launched an RPG that immobilized the vehicle.[3][4] The director of the hospital in Oicha, where the victims were transferred, stated that all of the victims were shot by the perpetrators.[5] Sixteen civilians were killed in the massacre, and nine others were wounded.[2][5] All of the victims were residents of Oicha Territory.[4]
Congolese officials attributed the attack to the ADF, although the ADF nor ISCAP claimed responsibility.[2][5]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "The Allied Democratic Forces, an Islamic State Affiliate in the Democratic Republic of Congo". Congressional Research Service. September 1, 2022. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
- ^ a b c "Sixteen civilians killed in eastern DRC ambush". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
- ^ "RDC-Beni: les 16 personnes tuées par balles revenaient du marché sur l'axe Maimoya et Chani-chani". Actualite.cd (in French). 2021-07-23. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
- ^ a b "Beni : Au moins 16 morts dans une attaque rebelle sur l'axe Mayimoya-Chanichani" (in French). 2021-07-23. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
- ^ a b c AFP, Staff Writer With (2021-07-23). "16 Civilians Killed in Suspected Militia Attack in DR Congo". The Defense Post. Retrieved 2024-09-24.