At least 43 people have been killed in an attack by a rebel group linked to ISIL (ISIS) in northeast Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), according to the army. The assault occurred in Bafwakoa village, located in Mambasa territory in Ituri province, where regional army spokesperson Lieutenant Jules Tshikudi Ngongo stated on Thursday that “43 compatriots were killed and 44 houses torched” during the previous day’s violence. Authorities attributed the attack to the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a group led by former Ugandan rebels that has sworn allegiance to ISIL, highlighting the persistent threat of extremist violence in the region.
Territorial administrator of Mambasa, Baptiste Munyapandi, informed the Reuters news agency that search operations are ongoing and the death toll could rise. Christian Alimasi, a local customary official in Mambasa territory, detailed to Reuters that houses were set ablaze, some victims were killed with machetes, others burned in their homes, and two people were abducted. This incident underscores the severe humanitarian crisis and security challenges facing civilians in eastern DRC, as rebel groups increasingly target non-combatants.
Congolese army spokesperson Ngongo told The Associated Press that “The ADF avoids direct combat with the army and all its partners; that’s why they attack the population in a way that sabotages peace efforts and acts of revenge against the population, thus reprisals against our people.” Data from Insecurity Insight, a research organization analyzing verified violent incidents affecting civilians, indicates that the ADF accounted for approximately a quarter of reported violence against civilians in eastern DRC between 2020 and 2025, emphasizing the group’s destabilizing role amid ongoing conflicts.
Despite joint Congolese-Ugandan military operations against the ADF launched in 2021, attacks on civilians have intensified in recent months in parts of Ituri and neighboring North Kivu province. Last year, the ADF killed 66 people and abducted several more in a neighboring area, demonstrating a pattern of escalating brutality. The army has struggled to contain the group as it battles several other rebel factions in the east, most notably the Rwandan-backed M23, which seized Goma, the largest city in eastern DRC, last year along with other major cities, complicating regional stability and peace efforts.
Source: www.aljazeera.com