Survivors of deadly raid in east Congo return home

Reuters Videos

STORY: Members the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) struck Mukondi and a neighbouring village overnight on Wednesday (March 8), torching buildings and killing at least 39 people and wounding many more, according to the local authorities.

The scale of the bloodshed has shocked the broader community in North Kivu province that has been menaced by marauding armed rebel groups since wars in the 1990s.

The Islamist militant group attacked the villages as residents were celebrating International Women's Day, said resident Paluku Mukata, who was among those who escaped.

"We saw people who had their throats slit," Mukata said.

The Islamic State, which the ADF pledged allegiance to in 2019, claimed responsibility for the attack late on Friday.

The violence has destabilised swathes of eastern Congo, driving over 5.5 million people from their homes in what has become the largest internal displacement crisis in Africa, according to the U.N. refugee agency.

Latest stories

  • Malaysian mum reunites with unilaterally-converted kids whose religious freedom she won back

    KUALA LUMPUR, March 27 — A Malaysian non-Muslim mother is finally back with four of her children her Muslim convert ex-h...

  • Dr Mahathir claims Malays ‘lost everything’ after he was no longer PM in 2020

    KUALA LUMPUR, March 27 — Former two-time prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today claimed that Malays “lost everythi...

  • Putin ally proposing banning ICC in Russia

    (Reuters) -Russia's parliament speaker on Saturday proposed banning the activities of the International Criminal Court (ICC) after the court issued an arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of the war crimes. Vyacheslav Volodin, an ally of Putin's, said that Russian legislation should be amended to prohibit any activity of the ICC in Russia and to punish any who gave "assistance and support" to the ICC.

  • Hong Kongers hold first protest in years under strict rules

    Dozens of people on Sunday joined Hong Kong's first authorized protest since the lifting of major COVID-19 restrictions under unprecedentedly strict rules, including wearing a numbered badge around their necks. During the pandemic, protests were rare due to COVID-19 restrictions. In addition, many activists have been silenced or jailed after Beijing imposed a national security law following massive protests in 2019.

  • Russian town shocked by case of child's Ukraine drawing

    In the Russian town of Yefremov, residents say they are shocked by the case of a father separated from his 13-year-old daughter because of her drawing criticising Moscow's offensive."Separating a father from his daughter is horrible.

  • Attacks on Iran-linked bases in Syria will draw swift response -spokesperson

    BEIRUT (Reuters) -Strikes on Iranian-linked bases in Syria would draw a quick response, an Iranian security spokesperson said on Saturday, after the reported death of 19 people in one of the deadliest exchanges between the U.S. and Iranian-aligned forces in years. "Any pretext to attack bases created at the request of the Syrian government to deal with terrorism and Islamic State elements in this country will be met with an immediate counter-response," Keyvan Khosravi, spokesperson for Iran's top security body, was quoted as saying by Iranian state media. Iran says its forces and allied fighters are in Syria at the request of Damascus, and sees U.S. forces there as occupiers.

  • Nationwide Protests in Israel After Netanyahu Fires Defense Minister

    Nationwide protests erupted in Israel on Sunday night, March 26, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired his defence minister, Yoav Gallant, for opposing controversial judicial reforms, Israeli media reported.Citing Israel’s Maariv newspaper, The Jerusalem Post reported that Netanyahu told Gallant he had lost trust in him.“We must all stand up strongly against insubordination,” Netanyahu tweeted following the dismissal.In a brief comment, Gallant said the “security of the State of Israel has always been and will always be my life’s mission.” Opposition politicians condemned Gallant’s dismissal.Israeli media reported more than 600,000 people had taken to the streets to protest the reforms, which would see changes to Israel’s legal system and give parliament more control over the nation’s judiciary.Footage by Tuvi Pollack shows protesters crowding an intersection in the city of Hod Hasharon and waving Israeli flags.Citing sources, Haaretz reported Netanyahu and other senior figures in his coalition government had gathered on Sunday night to discuss halting the reforms. Credit: Tuvi Pollack via Storyful

  • Wan Fayshal mocks Guan Eng over DAP’s new affinity for police reports

    KUALA LUMPUR, March 25 — DAP leaders such as Lim Guan Eng now appeared fine with lodging police reports against politica...

  • Jonathan Majors’ lawyer says assault charges will be dropped after video proves he’s ‘entirely innocent’

    The Marvel star was charged with assault after an alleged domestic dispute at a Manhattan apartment

  • Residents of tiny town hit by tornado reveal how TV meteorologist seen praying on-air saved them

    WTVA meteorologist Matt Laubhan was heard saying, ‘Dear Jesus, please help them’, as he urged local people to seek safety. Sheila Flynn hears from a grateful local resident who took cover when she she heard him say ‘deadly’

  • Ontario woman 'beyond excited' to be reunited with accidentally-donated wedding dress

    The Hamilton, Ont. woman's father accidentally donated the "very special" gown, which is set to become a family heirloom.

  • Monks at historic Kyiv monastery defy eviction order

    In a Kyiv monastery that has played a crucial role in both Ukrainian and Russian history, scores of monks accused of allegiance with Moscow are defying eviction.The monks are members of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which was under the authority of the Russian Orthodox Church.

  • Jonathan Majors’ Lawyer Says Evidence Exists to Prove He’s ‘Completely Innocent’ of Alleged Assault

    The defense lawyer of Jonathan Majors says the actor is “completely innocent” and “provably the victim” after he was arrested on Saturday in Manhattan and charged with assault and harassment in what New York Police Department described as a “domestic dispute.” “Jonathan Majors is completely innocent and is provably the victim of an altercation with […]

  • 2 dead in rail car; human smuggling investigation indicated

    Two people found dead in a railroad car in south Texas were Honduran men, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said in a statement Saturday, indicating it was investigating the case as possible human smuggling. “We will continue to address the serious public safety threat posed by human smuggling organizations and their reckless disregard for the health and safety of those smuggled,” department spokesperson Nina Pruneda said in the statement. Pruneda declined to comment beyond the statement, which said the investigation is ongoing but did not say whether any of the migrants were in custody.

  • Mass Destruction Seen in Drone Survey of Rolling Fork Following Deadly Tornado

    Drone footage showed the devastation in Rolling Fork, Mississippi, on Sunday, March 26, after a life-threatening tornado touched down on the town on Friday night.At least 25 people were killed and dozens more injured after multiple tornadoes tore through western Mississippi, officials said.On Saturday, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves declared a State of Emergency in the counties impacted by the severe storms.The footage, released by the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, shows aerial images of damaged buildings in the town. Credit: MSEMA via Storyful

  • Niger's army entered Mali in hunt for 'terrorists': ministry

    Niger's defence ministry said Friday its troops killed 79 "terrorists" in operations last week that involved a foray into neighbouring Mali. Troops from the army's anti-jihadist Almahaou operation began the search after they were attacked by an "armed terrorist group" in the western town of Tiloa on March 10, the ministry said.  

  • 'Stuck in a swamp': Saudi Arabia seeks exit from Yemen war

    Eight years after launching its military campaign in Yemen, Saudi Arabia wants to extricate itself from the conflict, despite slim hopes of lasting peace, to focus on ambitious projects at home."We did see some progress of course, and we want to build on that progress to achieve lasting peace to open up for a political solution," the official said.

  • Fearing Palestinian attacks, Israelis seek security in guns

    Pistol shots ring out and carbide lingers in the air at the gun range of an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank, as Tomer Gal completes the final stage of his firearms licence assessment.Only then can they purchase a gun, complete training, and then finally get a licence.

  • Ulrika Jonsson says she would not report her rape to the police if it happened today

    ‘Right now, I would feel deeply uneasy about any kind of interaction with the police,’ wrote Jonsson

  • Boy, 9, reunited with pet tortoise seven months after she disappeared

    Harvey Dean-Evans' pet tortoise Mary went missing from his home in Wigan last August.