(Reuters) – Systematic and brutal attacks by Islamist militants in the Congo over the last 18 months may amount to war crimes, the United Nations said on Monday.
The Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a Ugandan armed group operating in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, have killed more than 1,000 civilians since the start of 2019, according to a report by the UN Joint Human Rights Office.
“In the majority of cases, the means and the modus operandi of the attacks indicate a clear intention to leave no survivors. Entire families have been hacked to death,” it said.
The attacks “may amount to crimes against humanity and war crimes”, it said.
(Reporting by Hereward Holland; Editing by Giles Elgood)
