Attacks leave 36 dead in eastern DR Congo

At least 36 people have been killed in two days of attacks in the north-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, according to local officials and security sources, reports Africa News with AFP on May 8th.

The violence has been blamed on fighters from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an armed group linked to the Islamic State. The attacks took place between May 5th and May 6th in areas near the border of Ituri and North Kivu provinces.

Officials said at least 15 people were killed in the town of Biakato alone, including women and at least one child. Local civil society leaders reported that the attackers used both guns and machetes during the assault.

“The rebels started killing people with bullets and machetes,” the head of a local civil society organisation said, adding that 15 bodies had already been recovered following the attack.

A further 21 people, many believed to be farmers, were reportedly killed in assaults on four isolated villages nearby. The affected areas are heavily forested and difficult to access, making them vulnerable to attacks by armed groups operating in the region.

The ADF, which was originally formed in Uganda to overthrow the government and establish an Islamic state, has operated from eastern Congo since the late 1990s. Analysts say the group has expanded its influence in recent years and intensified attacks against civilians.

Human rights organisations have repeatedly accused the ADF of committing serious abuses. In a report released this week, Amnesty International accused the group of carrying out war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The United Nations has also linked the ADF to crimes including extrajudicial killings, kidnappings for ransom, and extortion.

Eastern Congo has experienced decades of violence involving armed militias, rebel groups, and government forces, often fuelled by competition over the region’s vast mineral wealth.

Since 2021, Ugandan troops have worked alongside Congolese forces in military operations targeting the ADF in North Kivu and Ituri provinces.

Africa News with AFP, Maghrebi.org