At least 21 people were killed by Islamic State-linked ADF rebels during a violent week of attacks in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, local sources reported on Saturday.
The assaults occurred near Manguredjipa, a mineral-rich town often targeted by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels, known for their brutality.
The first attack took place on December 21 when ADF militants raided the village of Robinet in the Bapere sector of North Kivu province.
Six people were killed instantly. The following day, December 22, the rebels struck the nearby village of Kodjo, where 12 more individuals were slaughtered.
On Christmas Day, ADF fighters continued their assault, this time attacking the village of Makele, located just seven kilometers from Manguredjipa, and killing three people.
These events were confirmed by multiple local sources.
The ADF, originally from Uganda, has been operating in northeastern DRC since the mid-1990s, killing thousands of civilians in their wake.
In 2019, the group pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) and now operates under the name Islamic State Central Africa Province, taking credit for numerous attacks.
Despite military efforts to combat the rebels, including a joint Ugandan and DRC offensive called “Shujaa” launched at the end of 2021, the insurgency continues, with the rebels retreating to remote, difficult-to-reach areas.
Macaire Sivikunula, a representative for the Bapere sector’s governor, explained that the Ugandan and Congolese forces are actively present in Manguredjipa, but the rebels’ tactics of scattering into small groups make it extremely challenging to track them.
“The rebels are dispersed, and it’s difficult to pinpoint their location,” Sivikunula said.
The region is also grappling with additional instability, as the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group has intensified its insurgency further south in North Kivu.
This ongoing conflict, which escalated after a failed peace summit in mid-December, adds to the already volatile situation in eastern DRC.
The region’s vast mineral wealth has long been a source of conflict, with various armed groups vying for control, and the population continues to suffer under the constant threat of violence.
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