ADF terrorists killed a hundred people in two weeks
“ The terrorist group continues its habit of massacres in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Allied Democratic Forces. Their acronym: ADF. Ituri Province. Beni. How many Europeans know what these names mean? The ADF is an Islamic fundamentalist group that theoretically aims to establish a caliphate in Uganda, but the firm resistance of the African country has forced the terrorists to move to the Ituri province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), near the city of Beni, and it is in this territory where most (practically all) of their attacks occur. The ADF is the daily nightmare of tens of thousands of people who survive in a distant place, but extremely close to the machete that cuts. The distance shortens and stretches depending on the flesh that suffers a different reality.
The ADF. Criminals with the excuse of God. Their crimes are counted by the hundreds although no one keeps the exact count. Just this Wednesday, they murdered 25 people in the town of Maikengo. Civilians. Children, women, elderly, and men with strong backs to carry their families. Terrorists are cowards by nature and rarely dare to openly confront security forces. They prefer to do as in Maikengo; they enter the villages under the cover of night, burn the homes built with sweat and effort, kill at random, rape, and steal the crops, and they dare to tarnish the name of God by pronouncing it while perpetuating their crimes.
Hamas warns that “no one knows how many hostages are alive.”
Eduardo, a former non-commissioned officer of the Foreign Legion and currently on a training mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, speaks with LA RAZÓN to learn more about the ADF: “Like all organizations that have sworn allegiance to the Islamic State, they theoretically seek the establishment of a caliphate in Central Africa. We already know where these people come from. They are really former highway robbers who do not have a very clear purpose. The only problem is that now they are seen conducting joint operations with the M23 [another armed group in eastern DRC], although ideologically they are completely different. That is one of the government’s biggest concerns currently.”
The ADF has been sowing terror in its different forms since 1996. Almost thirty years without the general public in the West knowing of their existence. They are the ideal example that Islamic terrorism only matters if it knocks on the door of our house; that the aggressor does not matter as much as the victim. Because more than 100 people, civilians, children, women, men with strong backs to carry their families, have been killed by the ADF in two weeks without the world blinking an eye. It should not be feared to say it to appear optimistic: their deaths have been in vain. The meaning of their lives was taken from them, and we will never know exactly if 99 or 101 people died in the last two weeks. The inexact numbers that trickle onto phone screens even rob the existence of those who did not make the count, even though they have been buried just the same.
Eduardo points out that the Congolese army faces a hurdle because “it cannot pursue them across the [Ugandan] border. Unless it is a small detachment they are going to face, and then it is when the ADF stand their ground. Normally they enter a small village, kill the people, and decapitate half of them.”
They are highway robbers who have come up in their emaciated minds. Cowards that have existed since man learned to sharpen a stick.
We can understand this inaccuracy in the numbers by referencing the ADF attack that occurred on June 11 against several villages near the city of Beni. The Congolese government reported 41 dead, while civil society indicated that there were 79 victims in total. It would seem that the count is limited to counting the corpses spread out on the moist and soft ground from the footsteps, but not even something as simple as counting a number less than a hundred is possible in the hell of oblivion, this green limbo where those who were not fortunate enough to be born in a place that matters are secluded. The immediate result of the latest attacks by the infamous terrorist group has consisted of the massive displacement (the exact numbers are also unknown) of populations near the areas attacked in recent weeks. The immediate result, in reality, is death. And then comes the crying, and then appear the displaced who carry their few belongings to a new corner where no one knows if they will be safe.
Regarding the work of the Congolese army, Eduardo indicates that “the DRC is a very large country and has truly enormous jungles. They would need at least six times the troops they have now to cover the country. If they were to carry out good containment activities for the moment, the incidents might be reduced. But the problem with jihadists is always the same: they carry out very bloody actions, lead to the displacement of people, and the areas where they operate are of enormous economic interest to them because they have a very high mining potential, although the DRC does not want to exploit it for the moment.”
If war is hell on earth, the ADF could be considered the devils, a band of blasphemers who stain the name of God and men under a false appearance of holiness. Their best weapon is not the machete, nor the rifle: it is anonymity. Thirty years after the start of their activities, they remain unknown to most of the planet. And they will continue killing as long as it remains so. “
Translation of the original article.
Author: Alfonso Masoliver
(La Razón – Spanish newspaper).
