The Congo Research Group has been investigating the various massacres in the Beni region and has published some initial conclusions.

Massacres in Beni Territory, published by the Congo Research Group

Massacres in Beni Territory, published by the Congo Research Group

 

The CRG reports on the ADF: Rather than a foreign Islamist group driven by revenge, CRG research points to a group that has forged strong ties with local interest groups and militias over the course of twenty years of insurrection around Beni. Moreover, our preliminary findings indicate that responsibility does not lie with the ADF alone. In addition to commanders directly tied to the ADF, members of the Forces armées de la République démocratique du Congo (FARDC), the national army; former members of the Rassemblement congolais pour la démocratie—Kisangani/Mouvement de libération (RCD–K/ML), as well as members of communal militias have also been involved in attacks on the civilian population.

Their key claim is that responsibility for the massacres goes well beyond the Islamic ADF to include members of the Congo army (FARDC). An indictment of both the army and the UN (Monusco) follows: Despite losing hundreds of soldiers in operations conducted against the ADF prior to July 2014, the FARDC have frequently failed to react in time to protect the population during and after events—and MONUSCO has demonstrated a similar lack of initiative. Our researchers have documented cases in which FARDC officers discouraged their units from intervening during massacres and there is extensive evidence indicating that members of the FARDC have actively participated in massacres.

An extensive full report in French and a brief summary in English are available.