Multiple casualties after rebels ambush convoy in DR Congo

Rebels in eastern Congo ambushed a stalled civilian convoy that was under military escort on Wednesday, killing 10 people and abducting more than a dozen hostages, the army said. 

The attack took place after the convoy had stopped to repair one of the vehicles, Captain Jules Ngongo, spokesman for the Congolese army in Ituri province, said. 

At least ten people were killed when suspected Ugandan rebels from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) set fire to 16 vehicles in the Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) volatile northeastern province, reported Anadolu Agency. 

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"We call on people to remain calm and to trust their army because it is difficult to fight the terrorists, but we will fight for peace to return as soon as possible,” Ngongo said.

The latest attack, though, prompted more outcry in eastern Congo, where civilians say the rebel group known as ADF is stepping up its attacks.

“What is the purpose of our army? How can a convoy of civilian vehicles be attacked when they were secured by the army? Without capturing even one rebel?” said Christian Munyanderu, coordinator of a local human rights group.

The ADF, or Allied Democratic Forces rebels, trace their origins to nearby Uganda and have long carried out attacks in eastern Congo, at times bringing gunfire to the city center of Beni.

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The ongoing attacks there have repeatedly prompted anger about the inability of the Congolese army and UN peacekeepers to stop the violence.

Fears have deepened ever since ADF reportedly pledged its allegiance to Daesh though the exact ties between the two groups remain murky.

Daesh’s Central Africa Province claimed a suicide bombing at a busy intersection in Beni earlier this year.