The humanitarian crisis in northeastern DR Congo is worsening as dozens of civilians have been massacred in brutal attacks attributed to ADF rebels, prompting the opposition to demand a strong response from the government.
In the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), new civilian massacres have been attributed to the Islamic State-affiliated Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) group, which is active in the Ituri and North Kivu provinces. On the night of July 9, at least thirty people were killed in three simultaneous attacks in the villages of Bwanasula, Kisamaibo, and Mayalibo, in the Irumu region. The attacks were carried out with particular brutality: many victims, all local farmers, were slaughtered with bladed weapons, some decapitated or mutilated. Authorities fear the death toll could rise further given the difficulty of accessing some isolated areas.
These acts of violence come amidst a renewed joint offensive by the DRC (FARDC) and Ugandan (UPDF) armed forces against the jihadist insurgency. After a period of relative calm, the two armies have intensified operations, extending them to new territories as established in a memorandum signed on June 20. According to military sources, the massacres are believed to be an ADF reprisal against this increasing military pressure.
The previous week, the total number of civilian victims in similar attacks reportedly reached 66. In response to this escalation, the opposition coalition Lamuka, led by Martin Fayulu, has strongly called for a four-day national mourning period. The movement’s spokesperson, Prince Epenge, criticized the inertia of Félix Tshisekedi’s government, accusing it of failing to adequately protect the populations in the eastern part of the country, where massacres have been occurring for years with indifference from the capital.
Lamuka denounces the structural nature of the violence, linking it to a “war of occupation” that systematically targets civilians, and demands a political and moral response to the ongoing tragedy.
The ADF, originally Ugandan rebels, have been active in eastern DRC for over twenty years and pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in 2019. Despite numerous military interventions, they continue to severely impact rural communities, exploiting the fragility of state institutions and the lack of security in remote territories.
