(MENAFN) At least 29 people, including patients, were killed in an attack blamed on Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels targeting a health center and nearby villages in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), local authorities said Monday.

The attack occurred overnight Friday in Lubero territory, North Kivu province. Authorities recovered 23 bodies from the Byambwe health center, Col. Alain Kiwewa, the territory’s administrator, told reporters. Among the victims at the health facility were 11 women. Additional civilians were killed in three surrounding villages.

Byambwe serves as a referral center for residents, including those displaced by ongoing violence. Local media reported that the rebels also set fire to part of the health facility and several homes in the area.

“Attacks on health facilities are a crime against humanity. These despicable acts must not go unpunished,” Kiwewa said, urging residents to support joint military operations conducted by the Congolese and Ugandan armies aimed at eliminating the rebel threat.

This attack comes just weeks after roughly 20 civilians were killed in a similar ADF attack in the same territory in October. The ADF has been active in eastern Congo for years and is affiliated with the terrorist organization ISIS (Daesh). Since 2021, Congolese and Ugandan forces have conducted joint operations to combat the group.

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