In the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, over a dozen people were killed last weekend in the city of Beni. The attack, which targeted neighborhoods on the northern outskirts of the city, has been attributed to the ADF rebels, the Allied Democratic Forces.
In the DRC, the attack in Beni, in the eastern part of the country, which resulted in the death of over a dozen people last weekend, has been claimed by the Islamic State group. While condemning this attack, Maître Justin Matete, a representative of civil society in Beni, points the finger at the security services. According to him, there were prior security alerts:
“In reality, this is simply the result of negligence by the security and intelligence forces. In the week leading up to the attack, we, the community leaders, reported suspicious movements in the area, but nothing was done. That’s why we consider this negligence,” he says.
“It’s negligence because it’s one of the neighborhoods where residents live, and there was never any inclusion in the past. But now, due to negligence and alerts, it’s truly devastating, something we regret. Why couldn’t the security services prevent the damage, which resulted in a dozen deaths, when there were prior warnings?”