Ten civilians killed by ADF militants in eastern DR Congo

At least 10 civilians were killed in two attacks by militia gunmen in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where government forces have vowed to root out armed groups, sources said Wednesday.

Seven people were killed in the city of Beni and between three and 14 were killed near Oicha, 30 kilometers away, according to the UN radio Okapi, which quoted the military, and local civil society.

The attacks late Tuesday were blamed on the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a militia of Ugandan origin targeted by an army campaign to restore peace to DR Congo's troubled east.

Around 10 people were also kidnapped, sources in the local NGOs said.

The latest attacks sparked an exodus in the Beni district of Boikene and in the Mavete district of Oichi.

Protests erupted against poor security, and members of the UN peacekeeping force, MONUSCO, were advised not to go out on the streets of Beni.

The force's base is at the airport, around 10 kilometers from the city center.

SS