77 civilians killed by suspected ADF rebels in DR Congo

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said on Saturday that at least 77 civilians were killed last month by suspected Allied Democratic Forces rebels in villages across eastern Democratic Republic of Congo's Ituri province.

September attacks

The killings occurred in Mambasa territory, with Biakato, Bandisende and the outskirts of Mambasa center suffering the heaviest casualties. Civilians were killed with knives and bullets during the coordinated assaults, while the assailants also kidnapped several residents and torched residential houses as they withdrew from the area.

Mining site raid

This week witnessed further bloodshed when at least 10 civilians died in attacks on mining sites in the Babila-Babombi chiefdom within the same territory, according to local media reports. Civil society organizations and regional outlets have documented persistent insecurity across Mambasa, marked by repeated attacks on civilians and widespread population displacement.

Humanitarian crisis

The violence has compounded humanitarian needs in a province already devastated by the Ebola epidemic. The Allied Democratic Forces maintains affiliations with the ISIS militant organization and has waged an insurgency in eastern Congo for several years.