Eighteen Civilians Killed in DR Congo in Double Attack by Group Linked to IS

At least 18 civilians were killed in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRCongo) in a double attack attributed to the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a rebel group linked to the Islamic State (IS), local authorities said today.

The rebel attacks took place last Monday in the villages of Bilulu and Makaburi, located in the Bapere sector, in Lubero, one of the territories of North Kivu province.

"There was an attack by ADF rebels in Mongalia where people were attending a funeral. This attack was reported and our army, which is working with the Ugandan army against the ADF, retreated and pursued these rebels," said the head of Bapere sector, Macaire Sivikunula, told EFE, by telephone.

"In their escape, the ADF attacked residents of the village of Makaburi, where they killed 11 civilians and looted houses. In Mabama, located one kilometer from Bilulu, one civilian was killed. However, we learned that six other civilians were killed in the center of Bilulu. This gives us a provisional figure of 18 civilians killed at the hands of these rebels," Sivikunula said.

According to the local chief, the armed forces of DRCongo and Uganda continue "in pursuit" of the attackers, who are still present in the vicinity of Bilulu, whose access to the center of Bilulu has been blocked.

"Only the army is busy clearing all positions erected by the ADF at the site. Only then will we have access and a definitive assessment of these attacks on civilians, most of whom were beheaded," Sivikunula added.

This attack occurred when part of the territory of Lubero is occupied by the rebel March 23 Movement (M23), whose fighting with the Congolese army and its allies has been ongoing since the end of 2021, forcing hundreds of thousands of civilians to flee.

In addition to the ADF and M23, other armed groups operate in this region of eastern DRCongo, rich in mineral resources, including gold.

The ADF is a militia of Ugandan origin, but is currently based in the neighboring Congolese provinces of North Kivu and Ituri, where they carry out frequent attacks and terrorize the population.

Its objectives are unclear, beyond a possible link to the Islamic State, which sometimes claims responsibility for its actions.

Ugandan authorities also accuse the group of organizing attacks on their territory, and in November 2021, the Ugandan and DR Congo armies began an ongoing joint military operation to combat these rebels.

Although UN Security Council experts have found no evidence of direct Islamic State support for the ADF, which the United States has since March 2021 identified as a "terrorist organization" affiliated with the terrorist group.

Since 1998, Eastern DRCongo has been plunged into a conflict fueled by more than a hundred rebel groups and the army, despite the presence of the UN mission in the country (Monusco).