The Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) have drawn up a positive assessment of the hunt for ADF MTM terrorists in the Beni region of North Kivu province. Since the establishment of the state of siege in this region and in Ituri, 907 terrorists have been neutralized. The spokesperson for Sokola 1 Grand-Nord operations, Captain Anthony Mwalushayi, said that this figure could be revised upwards as some attackers flee with the bodies of their fallen comrades on the battlefield. More than 700 suspected terrorist collaborators and suppliers have also been arrested and are now being held in prison.
The work of the FARDC has had the effect of destabilizing the terrorist camp, which now has neither the strength nor the ammunition to face the Congolese soldiers. The ADF networks are being dismantled and the population hard hit by the terrorist attacks is finding peace.
The hunt for ADF MTM terrorists also led to the arrest of several individuals suspected of collaborating with them. The spokesperson for operations Sokola 1 Grand-Nord announced the arrest of a secondary school teacher, ten ADF supply personnel and a child, the son of an ADF fighter. These people participated in the plan to bomb the Mulekera market in Beni where nearly twenty civilians were injured. They will all be brought before military justice.
In addition, Cheikh Ali Shabani, head of the mosque in the rural commune of Bulongo, is accused of recruiting Muslim children to put them at the service of the ADF. He was arrested by the security forces and will be brought before the courts.
The fight against armed groups in eastern DRC remains a colossal task, but the Congolese state is working to fight the scourge by establishing a state of siege. This measure allowed the regular army to go deep into the field and neutralize a large number of terrorists. The efforts made by the FARDC are welcomed by the populations who have witnessed a relative calm since the establishment of the state of siege