KAMPALA, Uganda

The armed forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo have killed more than 1,000 members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebel group since the declaration of the state of siege in Beni territory of North Kivu province, an official said Sunday.

Area army spokesman Captain Anthony Mualushayi said that hundreds of rebels have also been arrested during the operations.

“During the ongoing state of siege, we carried out operations in different parts of Beni territory against armed ADF rebels. So far, we have killed over 1,000. We counted over 1,000 bodies in seven areas where we encountered ADF rebels,” said Mualushayi in a press statement.

He said they have arrested 702 ADF rebels and their collaborators, including Jordanians, Pakistanis, Kenyans and Afghans.

The state of siege in North Kivu took effect on May 6, 2021. It was implemented by the DR Congo government to stop ADF rebels from killing innocent people in villages surrounding the forests where they have bases.

The ADF rebels originated from Uganda, where they wanted to overthrow the government of President Yoweri Museveni but were overpowered by the Ugandan army and fled to forests in eastern DR Congo, from where they attacked villages, killing civilians.