DRC: In Ituri, ADF rebels target Lolwa and Mandima medical centers
A man walks on a road between Bunia and Mambasa, in Ituri province, DRC.
(illustrative image) AFP - JOHN WESSELS
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
In recent weeks, the town of Lolwa, in the northeast of the country, has been plagued by numerous attacks by rebels of the Allied Democratic Forces, the ADF.
They have claimed dozens of victims since the beginning of August.
Civilians, farmers, workers at mining sites or even the military are targeted, but the ADF are also, and particularly, targeting medical centres.
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At least six attacks around Lolwa General Hospital have been repelled by the Congolese Armed Forces in recent weeks.
The presence of the FARDC has therefore been reinforced.
Two military camps were positioned in front of the hospital as well as in front of the Mandima health post, in the locality of Mambasa, located about fifty kilometers from Lolwa.
But the reinforcement of the military presence was not enough: for lack of security, the inhabitants as well as the health personnel had to flee.
This week, Lolwa hospital and Mandima health post suspended their activities.
The presence of the ADF is recent in Ituri.
They have been operating in the area for a year and a half.
It is usually the scene of deadly attacks perpetrated by the armed group of the Cooperative for the Development of Congo, the Codeco.
For more than 25 years, Ituri has suffered violence from armed groups.
The Congolese province has been under a state of siege since May 2021. This exceptional measure gives full powers to the military.
The aim is to put an end to the activities of armed groups, but these have become more and more frequent in recent months.
They're targeting this area because of the presence of the hospital.
They are fighters who are for the most part in the forest, who are easily identifiable (…) and who walk on foot, who are susceptible to catching diseases, who are wounded in the fighting but who cannot go to hospitals to access care.
So they target the hospital to loot it, drugs and support their fighters.
Eliora Henzler, Coordinator of the Kivu Security Barometer
Nadia Ben Mahfoudh
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