UN condemns militia attack that killed 52 in eastern Congo

Congo is emerging as a new region on the African continent for Islamic extremist terror attacks, according to a recent report.

A new United Nations report has warned of escalating instability in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) after an attack linked to the Islamic State-affiliated Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) left at least 52 civilians dead, according to Africa News via Reuters on August 19th.

The group, originally from Uganda, staged coordinated raids in Beni and Lubero districts of North Kivu province between August 9th and 16th, according to MONUSCO.

Along with the killings, the UN highlighted incidents of abductions, looting and deliberate destruction of homes, suggesting that fatalities could rise further as investigations continue.

These attacks exacerbate an already fragile humanitarian environment, where displaced populations face food shortages, insecurity, and limited state presence.

The ADF is one of several armed factions competing for influence in eastern Congo, a region marked by weak governance and contested access to lucrative mineral deposits.

Its operations now intersect with another destabilising conflict: fighting between the Congolese army and the Rwandan-backed M23 insurgency. A deadline for a peace settlement between the Congo government and M23 expired on August 18th without progress, underscoring the difficulties of sustaining dialogue despite international mediation. Both parties accuse one another of breaching a U.S.-facilitated ceasefire, and evidence suggests that civilians continue to bear the brunt. Reports indicate that M23-linked violence has left over 300 people dead, highlighting the severe human cost of the stalled negotiations.

The ADF’s trajectory reflects a long and evolving history. Formed in the 1990s by Ugandan rebels opposed to President Yoweri Museveni, the group relocated to the DRC after Ugandan military offensives in 2002.

Its pledge of loyalty to the Islamic State in 2019 marked a shift toward more systematic and ideologically driven violence. Since then, it has intensified its campaign of killings, abductions, and resource-driven plundering in northeast DRC.

MONUSCO reiterated Secretary-General António Guterres’s appeal for foreign armed groups in Congo to disarm unconditionally and return to their home countries, while also committing to closer coordination with Congolese authorities to strengthen civilian protection.

Africa News via Reuters, Maghrebi.org