Rebels kill 13 and abduct dozens of children in Congo

Congo's military says rebels have killed 13 civilians and abducted a dozen children in an attack at the center of the latest deadly Ebola outbreak.

Capt. Mak Hazukay Mongha said that the rebels attacked Congolese army positions and several neighborhoods of Beni on Saturday and into Sunday. He says the army continues to pursue the Allied Democratic Forces fighters.

Angry Beni residents on Sunday morning carried four of the bodies to Beni's town hall, where police dispersed them with tear gas.

Late last month, Ebola outbreak containment efforts had to be suspended for days in Beni after a deadly rebel attack.

Since then, many of the new confirmed Ebola cases have been reported in Beni as the rate of new cases overall has more than doubled.

Beni is one of several hotspots in eastern and central Congo where mounting violence has raised fears the massive Central African country could slide back into civil war.

Militia violence has spiked since President Joseph Kabila refused to step down at the end of his mandate in 2016 and it is unclear if a presidential vote to replace him will be held this December as scheduled.