Read < 1 minute

Eighteen civilians were killed last week by Ugandan rebels, Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), in the city of Beni in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), a United Nations (UN) source said on Wednesday.

The victims were farmers who were killed between April 15 and 16 in different incidents, military spokesman for the UN Mission for Stabilization of Congo (MONUSCO), Faycel Ben Youssef, said.

“The DR Congo armed forces immediately deployed Rapid Response Units to the affected areas,” he said.

The MONUSCO troops were also conducting rapid intervention patrols on the ground, with a view of stopping further attacks, supporting governmental troops and protecting the civilian population, he said.