Islamic State-affiliated insurgents have reportedly carried out a series of attacks resulting in the deaths of 89 civilians in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Lubero territory, as confirmed by the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the country, known as MONUSCO, on Friday. The assaults, attributed to the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), occurred in various areas of North Kivu province between November 13 and November 19. Among the victims were 20 women and an undisclosed number of children, with one incident involving an assault on a health facility managed by the Catholic Church in Byambwe. This particular attack led to the deaths of at least 17 individuals, including women seeking maternity care, and the destruction of four patient wards.
In addition to the fatalities, the ADF rebels were also reported to have engaged in abductions and the pillaging of medical resources. MONUSCO has called upon Congolese authorities to swiftly conduct impartial and credible investigations to identify those responsible for the massacres and bring them to justice.
Recent reports from local officials indicated that suspected ADF militants had previously killed 19 civilians in an overnight raid in the village of Mukondo in North Kivu province. Furthermore, in a separate incident in September, the ADF claimed responsibility for a deadly attack that resulted in the deaths of over 60 civilians at a funeral in eastern Congo.
The ADF, originally a rebel group in Uganda, has been operating from the forests of Congo since the late 1990s, where it is acknowledged by Islamic State as an affiliate. Despite ongoing military efforts by the Congolese army and Ugandan forces against the ADF, the group’s violent activities persist. Notably, sections of North Kivu province are controlled by the M23 rebels backed by Rwanda, who made significant territorial gains this year.
International mediators, including the United States and Qatar, are actively involved in peace negotiations to resolve the conflict, with hopes that a peaceful resolution will attract investments in the mining sector in the region.