The Democratic Republic of Congo released a statement Sunday strongly condemning recent deadly attacks targeting mining sites in eastern Ituri province.
This followed a rebel attack earlier this month on the Muchacha mining site operated by a Chinese company in the Mambasa territory.
The attack, which was attributed to the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), left several people dead, caused a fire in the facility and forced the displacement of civilian populations, according to the government.
Local media, citing civil society organizations, said the rebels killed seven people, abducted dozens, looted property and burnt houses as they fled.
The government "reaffirms its determination to relentlessly pursue terrorist groups and negative forces that threaten the security of the population until the complete restoration of full state authority in this part of the territory," the statement said.
It claimed that the army destroyed several terrorist strongholds of the ADF and recovered significant quantities of explosives during recent combat operations in Ituri province, particularly in the Mambasa territory.
Eastern Congo is one of the hotbeds of armed attacks.
Last week, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said it was deeply concerned by the impact of continued violence on civilians in Ituri province.
Humanitarian partners reported that since early March, clashes in villages surrounding Djugu territory have killed at least 21 people and forced many families to flee, OCHA said.
Since 2021, Ugandan and Congolese forces have been conducting joint operations against the ADF rebels.
The group, which has been active in eastern Congo for several years, is affiliated with ISIS (Daesh).
It claimed responsibility Saturday for the attacks at the mining sites.
