At least 20 injured in bomb attack in DR Congo

Kinshasa, DRC | Xinhua | At least 20 people were injured late Wednesday during a bomb attack at a small market in the city of Beni of the North Kivu province in the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), an army spokesman told Xinhua.

Captain Anthony Mwalushayi, spokesman for the Congolese army in the Beni region, said an improvised explosive device was placed in a bag containing cassava near a flour milling machine at the market.

The majority of the injured are women who were selling at the market when the device exploded. At least seven people have been seriously injured, according to the spokesman contacted by Xinhua.

“For the moment we do not have enough details but the security forces and specialized services sealed off the place of the explosion for investigations,” said Mwalushayi, blaming this tragedy on the rebels of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF).

“We know, however, that this is the work of the ADF terrorists,” he noted.

Earlier this month, at least 14 people were killed and about 60 others injuried when a bomb exploded at a local church in Kasindi of the North Kivu province. Kinshasa also blamed the attack on the ADF rebels.

The eastern part of the DRC has been troubled for decades by multiple militia groups, in particular rebels of the ADF and those of the March 23 Movement (M23), a common nightmare for countries in the region.