At least 43 people killed in ADF attack in northeast DR Congo, army says
Al Jazeera • • world
Key Points:
- At least 43 people were killed and 44 houses torched in an attack by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a rebel group linked to ISIL, in Bafwakoa, Ituri province, northeast Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
- The ADF, originally former Ugandan rebels, has intensified attacks on civilians in Ituri and North Kivu provinces despite joint military operations by Congolese and Ugandan forces since 2021.
- The attack involved brutal methods including killings with machetes, burning victims alive, and abductions, with ongoing search operations suggesting the death toll may rise.
- The Congolese army struggles to contain the ADF while also battling other rebel groups like the Rwandan-backed M23, which seized major cities in eastern DRC last year.
- According to research data, the ADF is responsible for about a quarter of reported violence against civilians in eastern DRC from 2020 to 2025, often avoiding direct combat and targeting civilians as acts of reprisal.
