The Army of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has announced that it has released some thirty civilians who were taken hostage on Friday by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in North Kivu province, in the east of the country.
The ADF spokesman said that the hostages were taken during bombings last Friday, in which several rebels were killed, reports the Congolese news portal 7sur7.
Likewise, the Army representative explained that the search operation continues in the area, while the released persons have been taken care of by the military before being reunited with their respective families.
North Kivu and Ituri province, the latter in the northeast of the country, have been under siege since May due to an increase in rebel attacks. Numerous armed groups operate in these provinces, among them the ADF – which swore allegiance to the Islamic State -, CODECO and the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), despite the fact that the 1998-2003 war formally ended. The conflict caused millions of deaths, most of them victims of hunger and disease.
