Armed ViolenceExtremismNews

At Year’s End, ADF Rebels Kill Dozens of Unarmed Civilians in DR Congo

In 2019, the terror group pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, a global terror sect claiming control of ADF terrorists and describing them as its Islamic State Central Africa Province.

As the year gears towards an end, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels killed dozens of unarmed civilians in DR Congo, demonstrating a fresh trove of terror in the country.

Today, Dec. 30, the terrorists murdered seven locals in the Matombo area. Sources in the country’s civil society told HumAngle that the assailants also razed down several houses in the locality.

“The provisional casualty figure is seven dead. The corpses are in the Oicha General Hospital mortuary. Health personnel are taking care of three wounded persons. The assailants burnt down several houses and took away some animals,” said Kambale Kibwana, the Mayor of Oicha. “The enemy is confused and takes advantage of the situation when the security forces are absent or arrive late. Nevertheless, the army intervened to limit the damage.”

About four weeks ago, the ADF terrorists killed nine civilians in the Tenambo area, near Oicha. In one month, at least 30 civilians have lost their lives in various attacks in the Beni region, according to locals. 

The Islamic State-linked terrorists killed at least 21 unprotected locals in the country this week,  according to a report by Agence France-Presse. The attacks happened repeatedly in and around Manguredjipa, a conflict-ridden town known for its richness in mineral resources.

On Dec. 21, for instance, ADF rebels raided the Robinet village in the Bapere sector of North Kivu province.

“They killed six people on the spot, then on Dec. 22, they arrived at the neighbouring village we call Kodjo where they killed 12 people,” Macaire Sivikunula, a representative for the Bapere sector’s governor, said.

Amid the Christmas celebration on Dec. 25, the rebel fighters killed three locals around Manguredjipa town, in the Makele village.

From Uganda, the ADF terrorists infiltrated the DR Congo in the mid-1990s, killing civilians at will to instil fear in the country.  In 2019, the terror group pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, a global terror sect claiming control of ADF terrorists and describing them as its Islamic State Central Africa Province.

The Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), linked to the Islamic State, launched a series of violent attacks in DR Congo, resulting in the deaths of dozens of unarmed civilians.

On December 30, the ADF killed seven people and destroyed homes in Matombo, a continuation of escalating violence as they had murdered nine civilians in Tenambo weeks earlier. Reports indicate at least 30 civilians have died in Beni region in a month.

In the conflict-rich town of Manguredjipa, the ADF killed 21 people this week, including six in Robinet village on December 21 and 12 in nearby Kodjo on December 22.

Despite military intervention efforts, the violence persists during crucial periods, such as Christmas, when three more locals were killed in Makele village.

The ADF, active since the 1990s and affiliated with the Islamic State since 2019, continues to utilize fear tactics through these brutal attacks.


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Chief Bisong Etahoben

Chief Bisong Etahoben is a Cameroonian investigative journalist and traditional ruler. He writes for international media and has participated in several transnational investigations. Etahoben won the first-ever Cameroon Investigative Journalist Award in 1992. He serves as a member of a number of international investigative journalism professional bodies including the Forum for African Investigative Reporters (FAIR). He is HumAngle's Francophone and Central Africa editor.

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