Photos: Hunting an armed militia in DR Congo’s ‘triangle of death’
Updated On Oct 15, 2018 11:14 AM IST
The town of Oicha is the site of constant attacks by the shadowy Allied Democratic Forces rebel group. United Nations Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo or MONUSCO soldiers are sent to help the Armed Forces of the Democratic republic of the Congo(FARDC) in the fight against ADF. AFP photojournalist John Wessels travelled for three days with 30 soldiers from the UN mission MONUSCO and the Congolese army to the troubled North Kivu province, where the ADF has killed hundreds of civilians since 2014.
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Updated on Oct 15, 2018 11:14 AM IST
A South African soldier from the United Nations Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) takes his position as gun fire erupts close by outside Oicha. “I am always anticipating an attack,” said Maijeke, a soldier, of how it feels to be in the DRC’s “triangle of death”, as part of a UN peacekeeping force helping the Congolese army hunt down a militia group slaughtering civilians. (John Wessels / AFP)
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Congolese flee after heavy gun fire is heard in Oicha. There has been a recent spike in violence in this volatile eastern region of the DRC blamed on the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an armed group rooted in Ugandan Islamism which has no known leader and whose ideology and motives remain unclear. Just last week, six civilians were killed during a night attack in the city of Beni. (John Wessels / AFP)
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A MONUSCO soldier is seen during a patrol to hold off attacks by the ADF. One Friday, after reports of heavy mortar and machine gun fire, the troops headed to the town of Oicha, north of Beni and near the border with Uganda. The town’s residents greeted them by throwing stones. (John Wessels / AFP)
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Community members wielding machetes and sticks search for ADF rebels in looted houses. “The civilians get frustrated with us and MONUSCO, sometimes we arrive late, we have to fight harder to help the community change its mind about us,” one of the Congolese soldiers said on condition of anonymity. (John Wessels / AFP)
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Several homes in Oicha had been looted by ADF members, who melt back into the jungle after raids and attacks. While the troops inspected the looted homes, deafening machine gunfire rang out from the jungle. It seemed to be coming from near the town of Mbau, where 20 civilians were shot dead by the ADF in May. (John Wessels / AFP)
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Congolese troops are based outside Oicha, where the blue helmets sleep uneasily -- the ADF killed 15 Tanzanian peacekeepers in December in the deadliest attack on UN forces in 24 years. And the ADF, which is thought to have killed a total of more than 700 civilians over the last four years, regularly attacks Congolese army bases for weapons, ammunition and medical supplies. (John Wessels / AFP)
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“This is my fourth deployment in the DRC, my first was in 2006,” said UN peacekeeper Maijeke. “This is the most intense deployment for me, I am always anticipating an attack,” he added. “The biggest difference this time is the escalation in the killings of civilians, this is heartbreaking for me, a serious concern.” (John Wessels / AFP)
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When the ADF killed 20 civilians in Beni in September, locals condemned the failures of the Congolese army and the UN mission. However MONUSCO maintains its intervention has prevented even greater carnage. In the area known as the “triangle of death” between Beni, Mbau and Kamango, the troops face an enemy that knows every secret of the dense jungle and likely has informants in many communities. (John Wessels / AFP)
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One Saturday, the troops headed to the scene of a particularly violent ADF onslaught a few days earlier. Members of the militia were said to have used two women as human shields during a shootout with Congolese troops that lasted four hours. Both women were killed. Everything seemed quiet when the troops arrived, except for the sporadic sound of gunfire. (John Wessels / AFP)
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The next day, gunshots rang out again -- this time close to their base. The soldiers scrambled to put on their gear, but the jungle quietened down once their attention was turned to it. Over three days hunting the ADF, some of the mystery surrounding them dissipated. (John Wessels / AFP)
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A sniper keeps watch. It was clear the ADF are well-equipped with heavy weapons and well organised. Their guerrilla tactics of sudden, brutal assaults are usually to gain strategic positions, or needed supplies. But much remains unknown. How many are they? Who is in charge? Who is arming them? And most of all, what is their goal? (John Wessels / AFP)
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Congolese soldiers embrace after coming back from a position deep in the Jungle. The ADF started out in 1989 with the aim of overthrowing Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni, who was seen as hostile to Muslims. But it went on to absorb other rebel factions into its ranks and started carrying out attacks in 1995. (John Wessels / AFP)
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Both Uganda and the DRC insist they have a jihadist motive, but many observers say this is too simplistic and there has been no proven link with the global jihadist underground. Forced westwards by the Ugandan army, the group relocated most of its activities to DRC. (John Wessels / AFP)
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