At Least 36 People Killed by Extremists in Eastern Congo

Congolese demonstrators gesture during a protest against the UN peacekeeping mission MONUSCO in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, July 26, 2022. (AFP Photo)
Congolese demonstrators gesture during a protest against the UN peacekeeping mission MONUSCO in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, July 26, 2022. (AFP Photo)
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At Least 36 People Killed by Extremists in Eastern Congo

Congolese demonstrators gesture during a protest against the UN peacekeeping mission MONUSCO in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, July 26, 2022. (AFP Photo)
Congolese demonstrators gesture during a protest against the UN peacekeeping mission MONUSCO in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, July 26, 2022. (AFP Photo)

At Least 36 people were killed by extremists in conflict-riddled eastern Congo, the military said on Thursday. The Allied Democratic Forces, a rebel militia with links to the ISIS group, killed civilians in Mukondi village in North Kivu province, said Congo army spokesman in Beni town, Capt. Anthony Mwalushayi.

“The enemy made the incursion into the chiefdom of Bashu and managed to kill 36 of our compatriots and burned some residents' huts in the area,” he said. Several people were injured in Wednesday night's attack and an investigation has been launched to search for the missing, he said.

Conflict has been simmering in eastern Congo for decades as more than 120 armed groups fight for power, influence and resources and some to protect their communities. The ADF has been largely active in North Kivu province but has recently extended its operations into neighboring Ituri province and to areas near the regional capital, Goma, The Associated Press said.

The ADF rebels are accused by the UN and rights groups of targeting, maiming, raping and abducting civilians, including children. Earlier this month the United States offered a reward of up to $5 million for information that could lead to the capture of the group's leader, Seka Musa Baluku.

The attack began around 7 p.m. Wednesday when men with guns and machetes stormed the village and started indiscriminately killing people, witnesses told The Associated Press by phone.

“The rebels came and they first burned houses. Then everyone who came out of his house was either cut up with machetes or shot dead," said Saddam Patangoli, a resident of Mukondi village who fled the attack and returned to his home the following day. They also abducted many civilians, he said.

Some people are blaming the incident on the Congo army's lack of presence in the area. “The area is not covered by soldiers of the Congolese armed forces," said Kasereka Alexis, a survivor of the attack. "That’s why the enemy took advantage of coming to massacre us," he said.

ADF's persistence and evolution in eastern Congo for nearly three decades exposes the extent of the challenge facing the government, say analysts.



Trump, China’s Xi Hold Call on TikTok, Trade, Taiwan

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Asheville, NC, Aug. 14, 2024. (AP)
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Asheville, NC, Aug. 14, 2024. (AP)
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Trump, China’s Xi Hold Call on TikTok, Trade, Taiwan

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Asheville, NC, Aug. 14, 2024. (AP)
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Asheville, NC, Aug. 14, 2024. (AP)

US President-elect Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed issues including TikTok, trade and Taiwan in a phone call on Friday, just days before Trump takes office again promising tariffs that could ratchet up tensions between the world's two biggest economies.

Both leaders were upbeat about the call, with Trump calling it "a very good one" and Xi saying he and Trump both hoped for a positive start to US-China relations, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.

It was the first phone call between the pair since Trump's election in November. There is an array of looming diplomatic and economic difficulties facing US-China relations.

The US Supreme Court on Friday upheld a law that mandates TikTok owner ByteDance divest TikTok's US assets by Sunday to a non-Chinese buyer, or be banned on national security concerns.

"The call was a very good one for both China and the USA. It is my expectation that we will solve many problems together, and starting immediately. We discussed balancing Trade, Fentanyl, TikTok, and many other subjects," Trump wrote in a post on his social media platform.

"President Xi and I will do everything possible to make the World more peaceful and safe!"

Xi raised China's concerns about Taiwan, which Beijing maintains is part of its territory, and said he hoped the US will handle it with great care.

"The Taiwan issue concerns China's national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and he hopes the US side will handle it with caution," according to CCTV.

Xi said the United States and China can have their differences but most respect each other's core interests, and that trade relations can be mutually beneficial without confrontation and conflict, comments similar to those he made during Trump's first term.

Trump offered strong support to Taiwan, including regularizing arms sales, in his first term. But during the campaign last year, Trump said Taiwan should pay the US to be defended.

The Republican president-elect, who upended trade relations in his first term, is about to embark on an even more aggressive effort in his second term, pledging to impose 10% duties on all US imports and 60% on goods from China.

Trump said on Jan. 6 that he and Xi have been communicating through representatives, expressing optimism about their relationship.