Gun Men attack Eastern Congo, Kidnapped 18

Suspected rebels kidnapped 18 people after an attack in the North-Eastern City of Benin  Congo, the Mayor said on Friday.

The rebels launched the attack on Thursday evening but were pushed back by the army, said Mayor Nyonyi Bwanakawa.

They abducted 18 people as they retreated, he said.  

The Allied Democratic Forces, a Ugandan rebel group that has operated in the region since 1995, are believed to be behind the attack and kidnapping.

The group is responsible for the deaths of more than 1,500 people and 800 kidnappings since 2014, according to local civil society organisations.

Benin lies west of the Virunga National Park and the Rwenzori Mountains, close to the Uganda border.