A Kenyan truck driver was on Friday among five people killed in an ambush carried out by the rebel group associated with the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF).
Barthelemy Kambale, a North Kivu provincial civil servant who spoke to the press, stated that the rebel group initiated an ambush at a parking lot in Kasindi, Beni territory.
The violent attack resulted in the deaths of two truck drivers, one Kenyan and one Congolese, two Ugandan soldiers, and a suspected ADF assailant.
According to Kambale, the incident unfolded when the rebel group arrived at the car park at 10:30 p.m, blocking the road and instantly opening fire at the crowd. In the process, the rebels also burnt three vehicles.
"The ADF enemy arrived about 22:30 (2030 GMT), our forces blocked the road against the rebels, and two Ugandan soldiers died during the operation," Kambale stated.
In a counterattack involving the Ugandan soldiers and the rebel group, one ADF rebel was killed.
"People are angry. They burned the body of a dead ADF," Kambale stated.
The incident marks the second time the rebel group has staged an attack, resulting in multiple fatalities.
Despite joint operations by DRC authorities and East Africa Regional Forces since 2021 to oust the militants from their strongholds in the DRC, the attacks persist.
The EAC Regional Forces, which include Burundi, Kenya, South Sudan, and Uganda, were deployed to restore peace and tranquillity in the war-prone nation.
In a separate incident on Wednesday, a Kenyan soldier was killed after a rapid mortar fire hit a Regional Force of the States of East Africa military camp in the Kibumba area.
Nonetheless, the Congolese government has been urging the East Africa regional force to withdraw their troops, citing that they have not provided a lasting solution to the war.
DRC President Félix Tshisekedi has issued an ultimatum for the forces to be withdrawn by December 2023 after extending the mission's mandate twice since its commencement in 2022.
