Congo rebels kill 15, abduct kids in Ebola outbreak region

JOHANNESBURG: Congolese rebels killed 15 civilians and abducted a dozen children in an attack at the center of the latest deadly Ebola outbreak, Congo's military said Sunday, as the violence threatened to again force the suspension of crucial virus containment efforts.

The Allied Democratic Forces rebels attacked Congolese army positions and several neighborhoods of Beni on Saturday and into Sunday, Capt Mak Hazukay Mongha told The Associated Press.

The UN peacekeeping mission said its troops exchanged fire with rebels on Saturday in the Mayangose area of Beni during an attack on civilians.

Angry over the killings, Beni residents on Sunday morning carried four of the bodies to the town hall, where police dispersed them with tear gas. Vehicles of aid organizations and the peacekeeping mission were stoned, the Unbacked Radio Okapi reported.

The ADF rebels have killed hundreds of civilians in recent years and are just one of several rebel groups active in Congo's far northeast.

Late last month, Ebola outbreak containment efforts were suspended for days in Beni after a deadly attack, complicating work to find and track suspected contacts of infected people.

Since then, many of the new confirmed Ebola cases have been reported in Beni as the rate of new cases overall has more than doubled, alarming aid groups.