Over the weekend, around 10 civilians were killed in attacks attributed to ADF rebels affiliated with the Islamic State group in eastern DRC, leading local authorities to urgently appeal for assistance, sources informed AFP on Sunday.
For the past three decades, the ADF has been active in eastern DRC, responsible for thousands of civilian deaths.
Recently, they have intensified their attacks and looted villages and health centers.
Leon Kakule Siviwe, leader of the Beni-Mbau district in North Kivu province, expressed the community’s frustration to AFP, saying, “Our people are fed up with burying civilians every day.”
Siviwe urged the national authorities to help restore peace to the region.
He reported three deaths on Friday and four on Saturday, with about 10 people missing.
Civil society leader Georges Kivaya and youth leader Esdras Mathe reported at least 10 fatalities in multiple attacks on Saturday and noted that the “search continues” for more victims.
Since late 2021, the Congolese and Ugandan armies have been conducting joint operations against the ADF in North Kivu and Ituri provinces, but they have not been able to stop the deadly attacks on civilians.
Kivaya emphasized the need for military presence in every town to ensure prompt intervention by security forces.
Mathe called for an intensification of military operations in the region.
The ADF, which pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group in 2019, is depicted by the group as its central African branch. They have been accused of massacring civilians in the DRC and carrying out attacks in Uganda.
