More than 50 civilians have been killed and scores displaced in a series of attacks by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebel group in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) this week, according to local sources.
The ADF, a rebel group affiliated with the Islamic State group, launched attacks on Thursday in three villages in North Kivu province, killing a total of 13 people, mostly civilians.
This was reported by Kinos Katuo, president of the civil society group in Mamove locality, where the attacks occurred.
The attacks come on the heels of earlier violence on Tuesday, where ADF forces killed 39 people in separate attacks on three other villages in North Kivu.
These figures were confirmed by Leon Siviwe, an administrative leader in Beni. The death toll in one of those attacks, in the village of Masau, could be even higher as searches for victims continue, Siviwe added.
Fearing further violence, residents of the targeted villages are fleeing towards areas perceived as safer.
John Bwanakawa, president of the civil society group in Cantine village, reported that around 85% of the villagers have fled to nearby towns, including Beni, as the ADF rebels are positioned just seven kilometers away.
The ADF, originally a Ugandan rebel group with a dominant Muslim presence, has been active in eastern DRC for over three decades, responsible for the deaths of thousands of civilians.
In 2019, they pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, which has portrayed them as its central African branch.
Efforts to stop the violence have been unsuccessful so far. Since late 2021, joint operations against the ADF by the Congolese and Ugandan armies have failed to quell the deadly attacks.
The eastern DRC has been a hotspot for violence by armed groups for decades, with the recent resurgence of the M23 rebel group further displacing civilians in the region.
