At least 36 civilians are dead after a massacre just north of Beni.  The main attack took place late Tuesday in Manzingi, a village 20 kilometres northwest from Oicha, while a pastor was also killed in nearby Eringeti.

All were hacked to death with machetes.  The extremist Islamic ADF is being blamed.

President Tshisekedi, in his first state-of-the-nation address to Congress, last month said he had changed the army (FARDC) command in Beni and sent 22,000 troops to the region.  The ADF are believed to number only around 450 but the local terrain has allowed them to evade capture.  This attack was further west than usual, as the ADF originated in western Uganda and usually stay closer to the border.

Area of massacres _ Oicha _ 2020 Jan