ADF rebels linked to the Ugandan Islamic State group have killed at least 36 civilians in fresh attacks across eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, according to local authorities and security officials.
The killings happened in villages located along the border of Ituri and North Kivu provinces, as well as in the town of Biakato, an area that has suffered repeated attacks from armed groups operating in the mineral-rich eastern region of the country.
Local and security sources said at least 21 people were killed during overnight raids on isolated villages near Beni, while another 15 civilians died in a separate attack in Biakato town in Ituri province.
Witnesses said the attackers stormed homes during the night and used guns and machetes against civilians, many of them farmers. Several people were also reported missing after the attacks.
The Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), originally formed in Uganda during the 1990s, now operates mainly in eastern Congo and has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group through its Central Africa affiliate known as ISCAP. The group has been blamed for hundreds of civilian deaths in recent years.
The latest killings come just days after Amnesty International accused the ADF of war crimes and crimes against humanity in eastern Congo. In a report released this week, the rights group accused the rebels of kidnappings, forced labor, recruitment of child soldiers, and widespread sexual violence against women and girls.
Eastern Congo has remained unstable for decades due to the presence of dozens of armed groups fighting for territory and control of valuable mineral resources. The region has also witnessed growing violence involving M23 rebels, local militias, and foreign armed factions.
Despite a joint military operation launched in 2021 by Congolese and Ugandan forces against the ADF, attacks on civilians have continued across North Kivu and Ituri provinces.
Earlier this year, more than 40 civilians were killed in another suspected ADF attack in Ituri province, while humanitarian agencies reported that at least 87 civilians died in separate attacks blamed on the group in March alone.
