At least 12 injured in bomb near market in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo

At least a dozen people were injured when a bomb exploded in a market in eastern Congo on Wednesday (January 25), officials said.

An unidentified person detonated a bomb in a bag in the town of Beni, North Kivu province, said local official Tarsis Katembo.

“The damage was documented[and]at least 12 people were injured. They had lower limbs, others had upper limbs, others were hit in the head,” he told reporters in Beni. rice field.

The victim was taken to a hospital and an investigation is ongoing, Katembo said.

No one claimed responsibility for the bomb. But according to the United Nations, attacks by pro-democracy coalition forces suspected of being linked to the Islamic State militant group have increased in North Kivu province.

deadly violence

Earlier this month, at least 14 people were killed and dozens injured in an attack on a church in the town of Kasindi, which is claimed by the Islamic State. The company said in his Aamaq news outlet that it installed an explosive device inside the church and detonated it while people were praying.

According to the UN, at least 370 civilians have been killed in attacks by the Democratic Coalition since April, and the group has kidnapped hundreds more, including a significant number of children.

Witnesses said Wednesday’s (January 25) explosion occurred at a local market next to a cassava factory.

In an interview with a local reporter heard by the Associated Press, 16-year-old Danny Shagswa said he was sitting on his motorcycle when a man in a striped shirt put a small bag behind his door. “The bomb exploded less than five minutes after he left it,” Shagswa said.

Images of the attack circulating in chat groups show people lying on the floor. A woman dressed in blood was holding a small child.

Violence has ravaged eastern Congo for decades as more than 120 armed groups and self-defense militias fight for land and power. According to the United Nations, about six million people are internally displaced and hundreds of thousands face extreme food insecurity.